Aerosmith

September 7th - 12th, Albanus 1

The plot to kidnap General Satianus Corresanti got underway.  Leyna and Titus found the urchin they were supposed to contact, and the boy led them and Daciens to the sewer entrance.  A few minutes later Severus arrived and left Catarina in the paladins' keeping.  Marius and Gaius hurried down to the cheap side of town and purchased a room at the Golden Crown.  Then they sneaked out to the street and found a place from which to spy upon it, after a few words with the whores and unsavory types that lurked about.  Finally Severus arrived at the Crown, invisible and disguised as Surilla, and went up to the room.

While all this was going on, Corvina made her way to the guard barracks, where she found security rather lax.  The sentries didn't find anything unusual about admitting an unarmed, beautiful woman who said she was here for the general.  A young recruit led her to the officers' quarters, where a riotous party was going on.  General Corresanti and three of his captains were dining, accompanied by a half dozen prostitutes.  The General was more than willing to wander off into a corner for a "private word" with Corvina.  She delivered a letter, reputedly from Surilla, saying that Surilla needed to speak with him at once, discretely.

General Corresanti sulked.  He was having a good time... he didn't want to go anywhere...  Corvina fretted that Surilla would have her hide if the General didn't come -- and hinted that she'd be happy to entertain Corresanti personally if he indulged Surilla.  So even if Surilla wasn't interested in a tryst, the evening wouldn't be a complete waste.  Reluctantly, Corresanti agreed and called for a litter.  Not very subtle, Corvina reminded him.  The General grew more petulant.  She expected him to walk?  All the way to the Crown?  Why, that was a whole ten minutes away...  Corvina coaxed, and finally got him to accompany her on foot, with four skilled bodyguards.

When they arrived at the Crown, Corresanti left two men outside the door, one down in the common room, and one outside to watch the window.  Corvina poured him a cup of good wine (laced heavily with poppy's milk).  At that point, Severus dropped his invisibility -- appearing as Surilla.  "Surilla" informed Corresanti that Magnus Tillaford plotted against him.  Corresanti seemed more puzzled than worried, and listed heavily to one side.  As Severus elaborated on the "plot" to steal Corresanti's position, the General began asking questions -- all of which were completely unintelligible.  Since he couldn't understand the questions, Severus ignored them.  And -- being accustomed to being ignored by Surilla -- General Corresanti rolled his eyes in irritation and passed out.

Quickly, Corvina and Severus shoved Corresanti under the bed and stuffed a flea-infested blanket over his face to block the snores.  Then Corvina cast an illusion over herself.  Appearing as the General, she opened the door and told the guards that the bitch was going to take him someplace.  They should head back to the barracks.  The guards weren't happy about this, but they knew Surilla could teleport and they had orders.  Once they left, Marius and Gaius joined their siblings.  Draping a tattered cloak over Corresanti, they carted him out the back entrance -- hoping people would assume they were dragging a drunken friend home.  Several prostitutes and rogues watched with mild interest, but no one interfered.  Out in the streets they hired a dung cart to carry them near to the sewer entrance, then dragged Corresanti the rest of the way.

Time was running out.  By this point they were sure that Surilla knew Sir Daciens was missing;  they had to leave town before the alarm was raised.  Daciens was still uneasy, but Titus convinced him to try to detect evil on himself.  And when he found himself evil, the young paladin was firmly convinced that his senses were befuddled.  

Once they were all together, the urchin (who called himself Marcus), led them through a warren of stinking sewers.  Gaius noticed, however, that there were an extraordinary number of rats about.  Rats that seemed overly bold.  Rats that began to follow in their wake.  Even the boy became uneasy;  he'd never seen so many rats down here, he said.

When they were almost to the city walls, they rounded a bend to find more rats blocking the passage out.  One had something on its head, a pale, slimey growth that wrapped tentacles down into its eyes and ears.  As soon as they got within 60' of the creature, Titus sensed a deep uncleanliness.  But as Gaius took aim, the rat's mouth opened and a thin, reedy voice warbled, "Query."

The band hesitated.  "Query," the rat repeated.  "To the ha-gai.  Who are you?"  Ha-gai, Corvina whispered, was Dark Speech for "clever goblins."  It was a common illythid (mind-flayer) insult.  The band replied that their identity was none of the creature's business.  "Query.  What is the food doing?"  Again, the party refused to say.  Titus began to grumble that he didn't see any arrows flying.  "Query.  Why should we not have our minions subdue the food, and feast upon its brains?"  Because, Severus said, they had a rod of messages and would inform Anat Alariel of the illythid's presence.  Um, arrows? Titus prompted.  The creature seemed most intrigued by the mention of the drow ambassador's name.  "Command.  The food will take something to Anat Alariel."  Words, perhaps, Corvina said, but nothing more.  Titus pantomimed shooting the rat.  "Statement.  Incorrect.  An item."  Hell no, Corvina snapped.  Severus waved the wand and said, "Anat Alariel.  Teleport to me now."  "Command!  Kill them!  Kill them all!" the possessed rat screeched.  Whereupon Titus finally got his wish, and arrows flew.

The odd rat fell immediately, but as it dropped, the sewer air was filled with squeaks and tiny splashes.  Hundreds of rats swarmed in from the darkness, from all directions.  A handful were as large as dogs.  Worst, dozens of altered rats (like the one that had talked to them) appeared ahead, blocking the exit.  Severus spoke a word, and an illusionary wall sprung up behind them, blocking the rats that swept in from the rear.  But the altered rats glared at them, hundreds of beady yellow eyes lit up with malice.  And as they did, a wave of pain swept across the party:  a mind blast, the traditional attack of mind-flayers.  Severus, Leyna, Daciens and Marcus the Urchin all waivered, stunned by pain.  Everyone except Marius and Titus would have been overwhelmed, if not for the blessing (Tanil's Touch) that Corvina had placed upon them.

With that, the wave of rats rolled over Leyna, biting and scratching.  Fortunately the warrior's platemail warded her from the worst damage.  Titus leaped to her defense, swinging his flaming greatsword, and soon burning rats were squealing and flying through the air.  But the true Man of the Hour was Gaius, who proved once again that they don't call him "Rat-Stapler" for nothing.  With blinding speed, Gaius dropped two of the fiendish dire rats and badly injured the third.  Corvina shouted to Catarina (who actually still had her wits about her) that Severus had a scroll of fireball.  The noblewoman quickly found it and gave it to the sorceress, but before Corvina could read the spell, the possessed rats charged, throwing themselves at Titus.  Not wanting to burn her brother, Corvina chanted and then spat acid on the rats.  Once the rats were this close, the band could see that the white growths on their heads appeared to be tiny squid-like creatures -- illythid fry, perhaps.

Gaius Bane-of-Rats continued to pour arrows into the rat swarms, and although they did not do full damage, each arrow killed one or two of the vermin.  Titus continued to lay about with the flaming sword, and Corvina spat more deadly acid upon they possessed creatures.  Suddenly the rats withdrew slightly, and another wave of agony swept across the party.  Only Catarina succumbed this time, however, and the rest of the party finally managed to do enough damage to disperse the rat swarms.  When everyone could think again, Marius healed the worst of Leyna's bites and made sure that none were infected.

Once the sewers were clear, they continued forward and found a place where part of the sewer's ceiling had caved in, revealing another set of passages.  These were of much finer make.  Following them, they passed beyond the city walls until the tunnel connected to a series of caves, just as Minda promised.  Yet this left the party baffled.  What were these tunnels?  They appeared to be an escape tunnel -- which implied they ran to the palace.  So why were their no guards?  Gaius found numerous tracks, both human and inhuman (tracks they thought might be an illythid's).  Young Marcus said that "the other way" led someplace where there were demons.  But there were no demons here.  Why would the king leave an unguarded passage that appeared to lead to the palace?  Had there been guards, and the illythid dispatched them?

They emerged from the caves in the Dearthwood and found the horses and gear that Minda promised.  The band tied General Corresanti across one of the steeds.  Marcus the Urchin was terrified of the sewers now, and all agreed that it would be far too dangerous to send the boy back in.  He would have to accompany them north.  With a word Titus summoned Sinister, who appeared in a shimmer of light.  Startled, the warhorse laid his ears back and prepared to kick the snot out of something (anything...).  Once he recognized Titus, however, he calmed down.  Though he chewed pensively on his bit, which had appeared out of nowhere when he teleported in.

For the next five days, the band headed north under the cover of the Dearthwood's thick canopy.  It rained for two days, which covered their tracks but made for a miserable ride.  Some of them were not well prepared for the cold.  Daciens lacked even a cloak, and so wrapped himself in his bedroll.  Marcus the Urchin had a cloak, but it was tissue-thin.  Each morning Titus prayed over him to protect him from the elements -- which delighted the child.  Corresanti woke up the second day and tried to get them to tell him who they were, what they wanted, and where they were going.  But the party knew that someone would be contacting the General via sendings, and so they kept a sack over his head and said nothing.

At last they reached the northern edge of the Dearthwood -- where a decision awaited them.  How to get to Corresanti?  After much thought, they chose to ride through the hills north to the Still River, which cuts along the base of the Ered Bardain, Rostilla's northern mountains.  Near the town of Tanus they'd ford the river and look for 'the Dragon's Tail', a tiny trail that supposedly climbed up to Corresanti, high in the Bardains.  If they could find it, it should bring them to the Count's very doorstep.  But to get to it, they would have to cross many miles of scrubby, exposed foothills...