Episode 1: Branded

Helden received the messages from Izar and nodded, despite no one looking at him.

The light fades from his hammer and he moves up slowly behind Oraam.

"Alright, lets move up to the others. Seems the intersection is clear. I'm going to follow you. Slow and steady."

The words quietly passed onto Oraam and Helden follows as the Hobgoblin moves forward to meet up with the group.

Veil watches intently down each of the three splits, ensuring the way was clear of sudden ambush before continuing on. They inspect the supports on the furthest tunnel, confirming the markings along the beam. With a nod, they disappear further into the mine. Further down, the tunnel opens again into another room, looking like a break area or mess. Two tables sit with benches along each open end, a derailed cart, and a number of broken tools sit dotted along the floor. As Veil takes in the scene, they immediately notice a number of rats scurrying about the scene, running between tools and rocks and squeaking into the air. The scent of musk and feces is readily apparent, the vermin have lived here long.

Two rats seems incredibly large, three or four times the size of the others. As you notice them, they stop, red, glowing eyes peering at Veil through the benches. They let out a squeal, which lowers in pitch as they begin to grow. Bones crack and snap as they reshape themselves, forming into a rat-human hybrid, slouched over barely higher than the tables. They call out to you "You tresspasss on our territoriess. How convenient that we can stay inside while the family is fed. We kindly accept this donation!" They pass sentences back and forth, yelling over each other as soon as the other finishes. They don't wait for a reply, screaming as they charge you.

The wererats charge toward Veil, one swinging its sword wildly as it approaches, grabbing Veil with its offhand and trying to find purchase with its jaws. Veil shakes the creature off of them and bounds backwards. Three quick, defensive skips puts them a safe distance away from their assailants. Both creatures snort and snarl as Veil slips away. Veil wastes no time, firing a shot from their armbow at the closest wererat. The shot lay shallow in the arm of the beast, seeming to dig in far less than expected.

Helden hears the commotion ahead starts moving down the tunnel. "Time to show us what you got!", he calls to Oraam.

Kho'nan was moving as soon as he heard the idiotic chorus of voices. As he moved, unbeknownst to all save those with dark vision, his body was transforming. Dark ripples of black ink bubbled up and coiled around him, a giant maw of teeth and devilishly sharp eyes formed on his stomach and chest. As the symbiont fully exposed itself for the fury to come, his skin underneath began to harden like chitin made of stone. He made no time for small talk nor threats.

His roar bellowed through the cave as he swung his Dorn Dergar, eager for the satisfying, pulpy crunch of contact. The heavy metal buffets the creature's ribcage, forcing the air from it with a wheeze. A blow that forceful should well have been enough to shatter the creature's ribs, puncture lungs and heart, yet it staggers, takes a deep breath, and howls at the dwarf.

Only then did the rats begin to converge, they run together as a black ocean coating the well trodden soil. They begin to dance around Kho'nan's feet, the fastest few nipping and biting, latching on to his boots. Izar moved as Kho'nan did, keeping pace with The Beast until Izar could lay eyes on an enemy. Izar takes their viol and picks out a simple melody in a minor chord. Before long the tunnels are softly reverberating with magic, as the bard adds rich contralto vocalizations to the eerie little tune. The rats begin the squeal and cry, some of them falling limp at the strange sounds Izar was producing.

Hearing Helden's yell, Oraam panics for a bit before rushing into battle, albeit much slower than his more trained party members. Moving up to fight, he throws his trident, before it reappears in his hands after striking its target. The trident pierces the rats at Kho'nan's feet, those that perished were quickly overran by their kin. Oraam then points a finger at Kho'nan, and a shimmering field of energy surrounds their person to any observer.

After Veil's retreat, Kho'nan is the only available target to draw the ire of the wererats, who feverishly rush in, stabbing and gnashing with sword and tooth. One finds a gap in the chitin, driving a blade into Kho'nan's abdomen. The symbiont catches the blade quickly, forcing it back out.

The mouth on the Beast's stomach curls into a snarl of disdain. In a voice like snakes it hisses throughout the cavern, ~~~ Who throws a trident at a swarm, honestly? ~~~

The Beast ignores the rat swarm, hefting the Dorn Dergar in a wide circle before shooting it straight out at the wererat, keeping it on the defensive. The creature is forced to duck and roll, shooting blindly with its long knife, nicking The Beast across his leg. It snarls as Kho'nan drives the weight of the Dorn Dergar into it's chest, forcing it back. The pool of rats continue to roll beneath Kho'nan's feet, climbing up his legs and gnawing at the chitin wherever they can, searching desperately for a weakness in the armor as The Beast's symbiont works continuously to repair and alter it's armor, keeping the animals at bay.

Helden moves through the group, suddenly side by side with Kho'nan. He nods, and slips beside him to engage one of the rat creatures. He mutters a few words and faint glow envelops his hammer as he brings it down the rat thing in front of him, smashing it down the snout.

The bellowing roar brought a smirk to Izar's lips; they would never want to be on the receiving end of that lethal energy.  Especially not after this, they mused.  Their vocalizations gave way to a soft, warbling which extolled the virtue of well-directed violence.

Oraam, hyperventilating a bit from being in a real battle and spotting Kho'nan's transformation, once again takes a long time to engage in combat, but musters up the courage to run up next to Helden and strike the wererat. The wererat looks up at Helden, past his mangled snout, and leaps forward. Oraam's trident catches the creature in the air, impaling it. Oraam drives the animal into the ground, of intention or by the extra weight, you aren't sure. The animal lies still all the same.

The vermin crawl up Kho'nan's legs, enveloping him up to the chitinous visage of his symbiont while they scratch and claw at his armor. The Beast made ready to throw out the dorn dergar again, but the symbiont had other plans. It compelled him to wait for a moment. Hives opened up around the the Beast's body, small and hideous looking. From within, a swarm of otherworldly flying insects poured out, covering the rat swarm, biting, tearing, and chewing at the filthy vermin. They fall from his body, screeching cries of pain as they are absorbed into the roiling mass of black and brown hair.

Feeling emboldened by his kill, Oraam reacts much quicker, activating his everbright lantern before moving to strike the other wererat in the chest. It spins to face him as he closes, snarling out "You! You will PAY for what you've done! PAY! PAY!" It's words are cut short as Oraam thrusts with his trident. The animal raises its sword in defense, but Oraam forces the points trough his guard, piercing into its chest. The wererat lets out a yelp of pain before jumping back. "pay... it hisses.

The viol's bow flits across its strings with a stunning rapidity. Izar audibly draws and releases a single, long breath, blowing air on the instrument at the point of contact between bow and strings. At the end of the breath, they swiftly move the bow in the direction of the wererat, as if bringing down a hammer. At first, the wererat's sword seems to catch the light of Oraam's lantern, but then the blade becomes red-hot and Izar wrinkles their nose at the smell of seared flesh. The murianthrope howls, tossing its blade at Oraam, who steps aside as it clatters onto the rocky floor. The rat leaps at Oraam, latching on with his maw and drawing blood from Oraam's torso. "Now you too will know our ways. But you will find no family in us."

Helden laughs as Oraam brings the right down.
"Ha! Nice work!"
He sees the rats swarming around and over Kho'nan and brings his hammer down into the swarm, but instead of a splat, dark red energy flashes out, arcing between the rats as the necrotic energy tears the rats apart. As the light fades, the once roiling mass is thinning, as the surviving rats disperse into the tunnels.
"These are were beasties! Silver or magic or we cant hurt them! Hold em down if you can! Don't get bit!"

As still as a statue, the only thing moving its mechanical arm, Veil looses another bolt with unerring accuracy. The bolt bounces off the wererat, who looks long into the tunnel, seeing the party in full strength around him. For a moment, he looks around frantically, searching for another victim. He stares long at Helden, armor clad and standing strong, and the beast lets out a howl. "You won't take us all!"

The bard was hopeful that they might end this interaction shortly; few battles ever needed to be fought to the end.  The final few blows exchanged were often struck out of pride, and while they didn't mind taking pride in their work, Izar was allergic to taking on work out of pride.

"If you yield, you might save yourself from further violence or at least be subject to a significant reduction in said violence."

The animal jumps at Helden, though Izar was prepared. A whisp of magic on her tongue and the beast shrinks in pain, but its teeth still find their way through Helden's chain.

The Beast heard Helden, but only just. The rage was still pouring testosterone into his veins while the symbiont took ever more control. The dorn dergar wouldn't work; that was fine. He'd pull it apart with just his hands if he had to. He felt the symbiont inhale the swarm back inside of him, ready to unleash it again.

Helden starts to turn back towards the others after dispersing the swarm and he feels teeth sink into calf.
"Ah you piece of shit rat!!"

He quickly brings his hammer down once and pale echo of his movement follows, striking the creature again. Trapped in the chain, the rat can only serve to look up and scramble as the enchanted hammer strikes it. It squeals as it is launched from Helden, the echo striking it as it moves, tossing the figure into the rough hewn wall behind it, unmoving.

”H-holy shit…. That was… Intense.” Oraam says, panting, looking a bit disheveled. ”Is everybody okay?” he says, looking around the group. He brushes his clothes, and glances back at Kho’nan. ”Also, what the HELL happened to you during all that?”

As they listen to Oraam's flustered exclamations, idly wondering whether Kho'nan's reaction would be sullen silence, a biting retort or the threat of violence, the bard wipes rosin off of the viol strings. Caring for their instrument for a few moments after the chaos and perils of combat is normally soothing, but Izar cannot find peace in this brief ritual.  The murianthropes had been biting at the melee combattants and if successful may well have conferred their curse.

The moon was new now, but it would give way to the waxing crescent soon enough. And before we know it, it will be full.  Khyber's tits! This blasted job...  Logically at this point they were better off finishing the work they had set out to do: clearing the mines.  There might still be other murianthropes and so the risk of more bites.  As long as ridding the mines of this menace didn't take more than a day or two, they would have over a ten-day to address the possibility of people being afflicted. It was the most reasonable course of action, so why was Izar still so nervous?  

"That was... an appropriate introduction to combat: brief, chaotic and violent. I am fine, and you, young post master?  You are uninjured? Helden, I believe I heard you curse near the end of our fight; do you require healing? Veil? Kho'nan? "

Affecting non-chalance, they finish tending to the viol while scanning first Oraam, then their fellows for bite marks as they address each in turn.

Kho'nan glanced at Izar, shaking his head at their offer of healing. Already, the war-dwarf had set dorn dergar upon his shoulders and was moving to the closest wererat with his khukri out. The curved blade's exquisite sharpness seemed to hum in the cavern as The Beast went about his grisly work.

Taking the heads was a ritual he had picked up long before. He did it to desecrate those unworthy of burial - beasts, evil, filth. But inwardly, he suspected that this compulsion was driven by the symbiont.

The symbiont took a moment to regard Oraam. It still covered Kho'nan's body like black silk, swirling and swaying such so that only the dwarf's electric-blue beard, hair, and eyes stood out. The sharp mawed mouth on Kho'nan's stomach hissed at the Hobgoblin.

~~~Greatness we are; destruction we wrought; death we are become. Dinner is ssssserved~~~

As Kho'nan takes the heads, the symbiont feeds on what it can reach out and grab. Sickly wet crunching fills the cavern's relative silence.

"We came ta'clear th'mines. Still got'a job to do," he said as he rose.

Helden spit on the corpse.

“Yeah, he bit me alright. Nothing much we can do about it for now.”
He looked down at the wound. It was only minor wound but if he had been infected…well that could be dealt with later.
“Nice work Oraam, but early days.”
Helden nods at Kho’nan, and hefts his hammer and shield.

Shaken by the array of teeth that originated from Kho’nan’s stomach, Oraam turns his head away.

”If anybody needs to be healed, I learned how to at Wynarn so just let me know. Besides that, I’m ready to go whenever he’s done with that.” He says, gesturing to the grisly sight of the meal Kho’nan and his buddy are having. He then turns to Helden.

”Are you feeling alright, Helden? You got bit by that rat and I just wanna make sure you’re ok because i’m pretty sure they can.. Maybe it’s best not to say everything.”

He stands from his crouch, having collected the silver shards. ”If anybody wants to help me
make some daggers out of these shards, it’d be much appreciated, and would be a much easier solution to the problems we will DEFINITEY encounter further on.”

Helden nodded.

"I'm fine for now. If things go pear shape, just tie me up."

He nodded at the silver shards.

"What can i do to help?"

If Izar wound up in close combat with a therianthrope, having a silvered weapon would be the least of their concerns.  Thus, trusting the melee experts to make good use of the silver that Oraam found, Izar began sketching out the layout of the mines to the best of their recollection and as far as they could make out.

Not only could a map, even a very rough one, be useful in the future, it would likely make planning their next move easier or at least one would hope, they mused while examining their sketch and nibbling at pieces of dried fruit that they were fishing out of a pouch.

Oraam quickly explains to Helden how to craft the silvered daggers, and begins to grab some of the leather scraps worn by the wererat, beginning to wrap it around the handle. “Let’s try and make this quick just in case.”

Kho'nan's rage subsided, but the Beast remained. The symbiont stayed fully exposed, looking for its next meal. Meanwhile, the dwarf took out the silvered oil he had made previously and rubbed it all over his Dorn Dergar. He would make sure the next hits counted.

"If'n there's gonnae be a ... king... queen... leader rat, it'll be farther in." He pointed to the shaft ahead of them, the one that led farther into the mine.

Before the rest could respond, The Beast halts. In the flicker of light left radiating from one of the party member's lamps, he starts to sniff the air briefly before putting his hand up for silence...


...then he hops down in one fluid motion onto his back and begins to spin, seemingly using nothing but inertia and the smoothness of the stone beneath his feet to push his twisting. Around and around he went, legs under arms and vice versa, finally inverting upright all together, before coming back to his feet.

The symbiont chuckled. Kho'nan shook his head as though he couldn't have helped it.

He probably could have.

Old habits died hard. It was all too easy for the bard to begin silently composing the music that would best accentuate the fluidity of motion on display and the strength that made it possible.  As Kho'nan persists in the unfathomable choice that he has made, Izar catches themselves softly tapping out a beat on their thigh and stills the offending digits.  There would be time for composition and choreography once this business in the mines was sorted and we know for sure that no one has been infected by murianthropy.


"An interesting display to be sure, but not a compelling argument for going deeper into the mines in pursuit of a possible rat sovereign," they begin, with a look of genuine amusement on their face. "Or against, truth be told."

Izar looks to Helden and Oraam, curious as to their opinion on the matter (as to the route moreso than the feat of physicality) but open to proceeding as their blue-haired companion had indicated.

The Beast shrugged. It was high time they cleared out the mines one way or another as quickly as possible.

"As much as it would be nice to just charge in, I think it may be wiser to loop back around and clear out the earlier tunnels. Limits the chance of us getting flanked and more of these guys maybe escaping."
 Oraam glances around the space nervously.
"I do think we should move on quickly, so let's decide."

Helden had wrapped some leather around the base of the silver shard, before stuffing it in his belt.

"We aren't going to be able to cover ever tunnel. We could go back and clear one and they could still come from deeper in and sneak out or attack us in the rear. Let the soldiers do their job and cover the exit. We can check for fresh tracks when we leave and hunt down any stragglers. For now i think going for the heart of the nest is best."

He adjusted his equipment and inspected the wound once more.
Nothing to be done for now...

There was merit in both options, only Izar was hard pressed to speak to their relative weight.  Whether clearing the earlier tunnels or staying their current course, the only thing that seemed certain was that there would inevitably be more combat.  

"One for circling back and two for forging ahead," they state while putting tension back on the viol's bow, readying it for renewed play. "Deeper into the mine then."

Veil nods, moving silently into the unknown. It is only for a moment before Kho'nan hears their voice echoing in his head. <Beyond, a decision lies. Left, or right? With direction, uncertain danger follows behind.>

Ahead, a short ways down the tunnel, a track has been laid for rail carts. To the right, the tunnel widens at the edge of your vision, and to the left, a cavern descends beyond sight, with track suspended across.

The Beast moved along, wildly unaware of anything important outside of the fact that he desperately wanted to kill more wererats. He shrugged and pointed to the right.

Helden once again held back, he was better at smashing skulls than sneaking around.
He looked at Oraam.
“Right, now it’s best you watch the rear. Eyes and ears open. Hear trouble, let us know. See me start to get all weird and rat like. Bind me if you can, but let the others know.”
He waited for a word or gesture of understanding before nodding and slowly moving deeper into the mine after the others.

Oraam nodded his head. "As much as I'd prefer you not becoming a rat, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you." he says, continuing his construction process of the silvered dagger.

Looking to either side, Veil shakes their head <Destination unknown. A coin's toss.> Their voice echoes through your minds. They turn their head to either side, peering down the tunnels before moving silently to the right. The tunnel continues for a small time, the track before you empty, the only sound is the occasional crunch of dirt and hewn rock beneath your boots. Further down, Veil stops abruptly, and you hear their voice summoned within once again. <Our quarry found, prepare swiftly.> Kho'nan can see the beginning of the tunnel's end, and with some effort, a faint light ahead.

Izar's hand traces clef and staff multiple times as the bard says the same thing to each party member in turn:
"If we are to have a plan beyond 'go on 3', we must hurry."






*order of Message (in case it matters) : Helden, Kho'nan, Veil, Oraam

Oraam responds nervously. "Um... Maybe I could just throw my trident at it once we get close enough?"

He puts the dagger he has been making (complete/incomplete?) into his pouch, and pulls out his trident quietly.

After a brief volley of harried whispers with the others, Izar began to ready a spell. If all went well, it would be possible to light up the cavern with Faerie Fire before the wererats even knew that they were there. The group would get in what ranged attacks they could, and then chaos would ensue, as it inevitably did in combat.

The Beast made ready to move. His Dorn Dergar was coated in a fine silver oil; it wouldn't be so useless this time. A quick exchange of mental words between he and the symbiont were shared.

Hives opened up along his arms, ready to spew forth a swarm of insects from another plane...

The bard thinks that they can make out a soft chittering but tries not to imagine what possible sources could be.  Faerie Fire was an early spell for Izar; it was like a longer lasting manifestation of Prestidigitation.  They would deny it if asked, but the spell had been a long standing favorite because the soft light and bright colors makes them quite happy. Izar calls upon the magic to cast the spell, and hold it within themself, ready to release it once they are close enough to the wererats.  Taking a deep breath, they creep forward, eyes still poorly adapted to the lack of light, already regretting having suggested this tactic.

Helden murmured a prayer, casting Guidance over the bard as he moved forward.

At the same time he readied his weapon a shield.

Battle!

Oraam readies his trident, preparing to cast Shield of Faith once Kho'nan is within reach.

Veil kneels. Resting their elbow on their knee, they support their armbow with their offhand. After what you assume would be a breath, their body freezes, and a bolt whistles lightly as it cuts the air before their target. With a sharp thunk, the bolt finds its mark, burying deep in the ratling's abdomen. They yell out in surprise and pain as a blast of magic coats them in a luminous glow. Kho'nan let's loose the otherworldly insects from his personal hive, swarming over the wererat Veil shot, though the creature wiped and swiped at the insects, what made their way to its skin seemed not to affect it much.

One of the Murianthropes leaps back at the shot from Veil, narrowly avoiding Izar's limning blast. Two rush the warforged, swinging wildly. One, momentarily stunned by the sudden chaos, lingers behind for a moment. A single blade buried in the construct's leg was all Veil needed before the warforged back-stepped to the wall, lining up another shot at their target. The bolt flies true, lodging another deadly silvered tip into the creature's center mass. As the insects of Kho'nan's symbiont return to him, another ratling chases him down, swiping at the swarm with huge, unrestrained slaps. The creature was caught off guard easily by Kho'nan.

Izar mutters a quick invective, letting loose their magic before putting some distance between themself and the wererats. The unlucky beast puts a hand to its head and lets out a howl, Izar's magic taking hold. Helden followed the group, his hammer raised and glowing as he blessed the warriors about to join battle. Veil, Kho'nan, and Izar feel a surge of godly energy, Dol Dorn's blessing filling their forms with battle prowess.

Oraam rushes into the fray, swiping the rats back as he closes the distance. Catching Kho'nan's erratic movements with a hand, Oraam places a soft glow of protection around the dwarf's physique. As Oraam finds a chance to enchant The Beast, the wererat furthest them finds a chance to slip a strike in, slicing Oraam along the right arm. The Beast kept his wits about him, assessing the situation at hand - not quite allowing himself to lose it. He swung hard with the Dorn Dergar, attempting to crush and push the wererat back. The blow lands against the foolish combatant, launching the light figure back as Kho'nan steps forward to assert his advantage.

Veil tries to line another shot, her arm jittering around as she frantically tries to find an opening. Izar taps out a beat on the body of the viol, in the heat of battle they are only dimly aware that it was the one that they had tapped out earlier while composing a piece.  Against that rhythm, Izar freestyles threats and insults, looking to destabilize their foes for a moment. One creature bellows in rage, growing more brash and reckless. Suddenly, both creatures lunge at Oraam, and as the ghaal'dar is forced to block one, he tries to catch the other with the haft. The wererat slips under and as he rises with the blade, a bolt flies into his chest, sending him limply tumbling to Oraam's side.

Helden's voice continues in its prayers, rising up to a crescendo as a pillar of flame bursts from the ground underneath the rats.  Kho'nan ducks under a swing from the rat as the flame catches it, erupting in silvered fire.  The Beast did not even register the bite of the steel. He swung his Dorn Dergar about his head and threw it forward again, attempting to push the wererat into the flames. The ratling rolls out of the flames, narrowly avoiding the Dergar's weight.

Oraam absorbs the blow from the wererat's sword with his trident, swiftly spinning it around, attempting to pierce its midsection. The trident's heads sing as they strike his aggressor's sword, he plants two heads into the creature's hip, forcing out a scream of pain and a stumble away.

---ROUND 3---

Desperately, the mange-haired rat swings wildly at Kho'nan, who deflects the blows with a taught length of chain. The Beast catches the creature's blows with ease, rearing to strike, the animal realized all too late the situation it was in. The Beast kept up the attack, reeling around from the miss and doubling back to swing the hardened steel bludgeon into the wererat's chest. Sent toppling backwards by the full weight of the Dorn Dergar, the rat's lungs were forcibly emptied, leaving their breath where it fell as Kho'nan pressed them back once more. Careening off the rough wall, the rat stumbled as they regained their guard.

As one ally fell, and another reached their expiry, the final Wererat made a bet on impossible odds. Seeing only one way out, the Cursed blew past Oraam and ran as quickly as possible through the crowd of assailants, praying his agility and their surprise would give him the edge. The bard did not expect to have an enemy in such close proximity, in fact tended to go out of their way to avoid just such a scenario. Thus, a cantrip is cast with a surprised expletive, as Izar calls forth the magic through instinct rather than with intent, swatting at the wererat as it passes. The creature lets out a light hiss, in response, wincing as they run by. Veil waited again, looking for the right moment to strike. As Izar recoiled from the beast, Veil found that moment, lodging a bolt in the base of their skull. The rat rolled limply across the tracks.

As the rat pushed Oraam off guard, he pulled the trident back. Preparing to loose the weapon, he hesitated as he saw his allies in the cross-fire. The decision was made for him as Veil took the shot, he turned to the final rat and sent the tines to them. The creature only had a moment to look at Kho'nan, the trident catching them completely unawares. They fell back into the flames, fire enveloping their corpse as the trident returns to the Ghaal'dar.

"Yuck." Oraam says, wiping the cursed blood off of the tines of his trident onto his shirt. "Everyone alright?"

Oraam exhaled loudly, then approached Helden. "How's the bite?" he says in a hushed tone, whispering to him.

Oraam's words echo softly in the still air, the chaos of battle finished as quickly as it started. Veterans and Greenhorns stand over blood spilled in the dirt. The red-grey chipped stone walls catch the soft sounds of heavy breathing and the warmth of a gently crackling fire. A few mine carts lay about the room, filled with rock and ore, and fresh picks leys propped against walls. The track continues down a short tunnel opposite the entrance, ending in stone after only a handful of paces. Back the way they came, the soft rush of a trickling stream and draft drift through the tunnels. There is a moment of calm in this corner of the mine, secluded away from any onlookers.

The Beast remained even as the last enemy in the room died. Kho'nan was hidden under the inky death shroud that bubbled and swam over his flesh. The eyes on it peered around, often the opposite direction of Kho'nan as though they were covering every angle.

The teeth hissed but did not mention stopping to eat again. They were hungry for more battle. The symbiont's hunger was never sated.

"Quick search here, then we move on." He turned an looked to Helden, waiting for a nod of assurance that he was still good.

Helden relaxed but kept his weapon free.

"Fine for now."

He once again brought out the light and started searching the room

As a few of the adventurers begin to pour over the room, they are first drawn to the mine carts. Each one, it seems, was used to hold material possessions of the rats, like a small horde of treasure. Helden and Oraam find these first, as Kho'nan searches the rats for belongings. Each has a hand crossbow and a short sword, as well as an assortment of coin totaling seven gold, thirteen silvers, and five coppers. Helden and Oraam find a number of shiny objects, some well polished metal dishes, utensils, and tool heads. Scattered among the tools and rubble are intermitten worthless metals, and a number of precious gems, enough to fill a small pouch.

Something glints in the firelight as Kho'nan moved towards his companions. Moving towards it, he finds a buckle made in the image of a shield being shattered by a hammer. What he notes most directly is that the precious gold buckle seems completely free of dirt or grime, even half-buried in the dirt.

Kho'nan's eyes go wide, recognizing the symbol of his clan immediately. "What in th'name o'Balinor is this?"

The symbiont's grinned widened as the realization hit. If these vermin had indeed taken one of Kho'nan's kin, then this was the start of a blood feud. That was all too swell for the symbiont that dwelled within. ~~~ They've taken whatssss yourssss... sssssoiled the honor of Clan Shieldcrusher? Ssssspilled its blood. Blood for Blood, Beast. ~~~

Anger bubbled at the surface of Kho'nan's mind, kept barely in check. He studied the buckle intently. It could mean many things. He looked around and started at the wererats, looking for any who may still be just barely hanging on to life.

He needed answers.

Hammer had pointed out the other loot to the others.

"Kho'nan. What is it?"

He could see he was angry. But over what...

Kho'nan kicked one of the downed wererats. Hard. He let the others know: "Need talkin to one o'the shites."

When Helden poses his question, Kho'nan tossed him the buckle. "Family business. Seems this lot got involved someway."

Helden caught it, looking at the gold buckle.

Family business...

Helden throws the buckle back at Kho'nan and then turns to the others.

"Seems things just got personal. We keep one alive and see if we can get some answers."

He raises his shield and pulls out his hammer.

"Onward"

The Beast caught it and pocketed it. These rats were all dead. He knew that. It was time to find some more.

"I'll hold one down. Face down. Ask questions." With the muzzle down, he wouldn't have to worry as much about infection. He doubted the others brought shackles and he trusted his strength.

~~~ I'll inccccentivise the meal to talk.... ~~~

"Do... Do you mind if I see it for one second? Nothing but personal curiosity.."

Oraam's pulls a monocle by its chain out of his pocket, looking eagerly at Kho'nan.

Kho'nan grunts and tosses the buckle to the kid. Maybe he could glean some information? Kho'nan was too focused on pure unadulterated hated for the wererats at the moment.

Oraam holds the monocle up to his eye, and as he examines the buckle the monocle begins to glow a nice faint lavender color around the edges as previously invisible runes glow with arcane power.