Time to prepare

[Stik]

[OOC] The one that smells of decay? Martin will do it. Very cautiously. Using his rapier to pull the bedclothes back one by one. [/OOC]

[Robbo]

Gunter is going to hang around upstairs to make sure everything is secure (remembering what happened the last time this group split up in a creepy old house) before going out back.

Looking around at the dust and sniffing the air he says, "How nice of the townsfolk to give us such a nice place to stay...I might be better off camping out back in the garden..."

[Jenara]

"Perhaps you could stay with me? And keep me safe?" She winks, nudging him hard, "Please?"

"As for you. Master Drake, you are afraid of a little cot? Life without Pelors light is a cold dark place." She picks the cot up and moves it to the corridor.

[Breila]

(I presume Martin will open the window first so he has daylight for his task)

Slowly and carefully, holding his breath, Martin lifts the bedspread off the bed and removes the straw of the mattress layer by layer. The straw itself is decaying, but does not look like the acid rot he encountered some days earlier. Near the bottom of the mattress, he comes across this:

[Stik]

[OOC] Is it alive or dead? Or a combination thereof? [.OOC]

=========================

Martin is startled, and disgusted, by his find but fascinated too. "Gaaah! Well, there's something you don't see every day. I thoughr these things were just make-believe. Never thought I'd one.
Martin backs away slightly, keeping his rapier at ready, and calls the others: "You folks have got to come see this."

=========================

[OOC] If this thing is alive, Martin plans to move it gently out of the bed and into a container of some sort - perhaps the cradle. This will have to be done carefully, so as to not get bitten (which is beyond a disgusting thought). If the individual rats are dead, the process will be much easier.

Dead or alive, he will offer it as a gift to Daos, as a curiosity. [/OOC]

[Breila]

The rat king is definitely dead, partly mummified, it and the decaying straw are the source of the smell.

(OOC: I will wait now for everybody to say if they do come see, and want a detailed description of what you do with it and the straw of the mattress.)

[Jenara]

Brax takes a tentative step into the room, as soon as she sees what it is she shudders hard, running back over to find Gunter. "Rats, evil horrible dead rats." She says pulling him close, "I will never be able to handle rats."

(Brax will have nothing to do with the creature, dead or alive.)

[Stik]

"Rats, Radiance, are just another of the gods' creatures, and no more evil than people. It is only their tenacity and great hunger that causes them to be cursed by man. Yet in their own way they are quite noble. Would it surprise you to know that in a distant city is a temple where rats are, well, not worshipped per se, but certainly revered. Given gifts of milk and honey, fruit and grain, and allowed to breed in limitless numbers. It is said to be quite an impressive sight, people walking to the offertory bowls amidst a moving carpet of small brown furry backs.

"And this, this conglomeration of rats, is what is known as a rat re, quite a rare and possibly valuable find. Pity they is not still alive, for that would make it very valuable indeed. Legend has it that rat kings can achieve considerable intelligence and cunning. And in the tale Lo Straordinario Maurizio ei suoi Roditori Istruiti a rat king calling himself Ragni manifests strange mental powers and seeks to conquer a town of humans.

“If no one objects, I think I would like to make a gift of this thing to the local wizard, for study.”

[Jenara]

"Rats are not noble when they are chewing through someone's chest." Brax answers softy. "Do what wish with it."

[LittleLuna]

As Vee looks at the dead rat king she seems deeply moved and she kneels down for a second, tuching her mouth and mumbeling some words in her language

"You can't give that to the wizard- what if he dissect it for his studys? He could kill the rat king!"

"Kord manifestes in a black rat most of times when he speeks to my people, thats the thing behind the rats temple. And rats kings are also spirits in service of Kord" she adds to Drakes explanations "rats are wonderfull animals. And for religious people holy too. I can't understand whats wrong with them! And I never saw a rat chewing trough someones chest, rats are peacefull"

"I remember that one rat had sleept in my bed when I was little- I called her dagger because of her teeths. She bite me, but that wasn't a problem!"

[Stik]

"Hear, hear. Ask yourself this, Radiance: did the rat do that on its own, or at someone's behest? Blame not the innocent animal for the cruelty of its masters.

"I doubt the wizard could harm this thing in its present condition, Miss Vee. It's passed on, expired, gone to meet its maker, If it please you, I shall help you dig a hole so that you may give these poor things a proper funeral. Or we can burn it, if that is the way of your people. And perhaps the priestess might be persuaded to overcome her prejudice enough to officiate.What do you say, Radiance? Does this poor creature - er - collection of creatures not deserve the warm blessings of the Shining One?"

[Breila]

(Oh, before I forget, I need a d20 from all of you. And of course, a decision on what you do with the dead rat king and who does it)

[Kafen]

Reller moves with Kristina to the door and looks around. He knocks on the door to the place and calls out. "We bring house warming gifts!"

(( 13 for me and 12 for Kristina ))

[Jenara]

"Gifts?" Brax responds, turning away from the awkward question before her. "I will go."

(1d20=13)

[Stik]

Martin will deal with the rat king, but he will not be touching it with his hands. There is a garden shed out behind the house. Perhaps there is a shovel in there. If not, he will find a suitable tool to use to lift the thing up and place it on a sheet spread out on the floor, then fold the cloth into bundle to carry it in.


[OOC]1d20+1=14 (I added Martin's luck bonus to this roll, assuming that he was looking to roll high. If he was looking for a low roll, the bonus is negative so this is a 12.) [/OOC]