Once again Brindle fries the rats that are unfortunate enough to find themselves at the front of the pack, and once more Wrukaog presses forwards, Cogwitz finding himself forced to do likewise rather than let the Orc fight them alone, though the thought of letting the newcomer and rats both have it out with the Sheriff and his men was of far more appeal to both the Halfling and the Paladin who watches worriedly from the rear, his discussion with Leisha now set aside in favour of concerns about the likelihood that the newcomer is a wererat.

Indeed, you have now pressed so far forward into the ranks of the rat-horde that the narrowness of the tunnel no longer favours you.  The Orc's big feet crush two of the vermin beneath his heels, and the Halfling's flashing blades account for another, but those that fall are swiftly replaced by their equally vicious fellows ...

... though both Wrukaog and Cogwitz manage to fend them off !

From their vantage, both can see through to the chamber beyond where the Sheriff's men have made the basic tactical error of falling back, and are now in danger of being overrun.

"I'll tell Daddy !" another squeaky voice joins the second, higher pitched and less slurred, though that dire pronouncement ends in an unfortunate hiccup.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"Ratmen," the big Orc spits with disgust, his eyes able to pierce the darkness of the tunnel. He pauses for a moment, a little spoiled for choice.

"Get up here, metal man !" he yells over his shoulder. "You an' Cogwitz can cut yer way through to them - me an'.. I'll kill the rest then come an' help you!"

"Duty calls."  Taking his leave, Tesseryn offers Leisha a perfunctory nod then strides to the fore once again drawing his greatsword.  He moves in between Cogwitz and the wall and slays the northernmost rat he can reach. (the dice roller has forgiven him)

"Have fun!" Leisha calls after Tesseryn.

Looking around the scattered bones and rat droppings, she sighs - although she tries to do it without inhaling too deeply.  "I'll just be here," she adds, quietly, and with rather less enthusiasm.

Side by side with Tesseryn and Wrukaog Cogwitz flashes his blades out at the rats in front of him.  His blade making quick work of them.

10:57, Today: Cogwitz rolled 21,6,18,5 using d20+11,d3+3,d20+11,d3+3.  keep killing the rats.

Brindle plays his part in the battle again by shooting 4 more magic missiles from his wand to take out another pair of rats to help his friends push forward again.

Ooc: 4 magic missiles for 2,5,4,5 hp damage on 2 rats.

Aurion is not at all enamored of this plan, but the die is cast..

"I'm all but out of useful spells," he tells Brindle, resignedly, hefting his crossbow. "You guard the orc's rear while I do what I can to help the others against these ratmen!"

True to his word, Wrukaog crushes another two rats and moves forward, deliberately turning his back on the beasts to face in the direction of the Sheriff and his men, undoubtedly lessening the constables' desire to deal with the rats lest they clear a path for the rampaging Orc to come at them.

With a gap opening up, Tesseryn rushes to the fore, though the Paladin finds no room on Cogwitz's right and elects instead to push into the gap that Wrukaog opened up for him to the left, his great blade striking hard and cutting one rat in half.

Not to be outdone, Cogwitz's flashing blades slash and stab and another two rats lie still on the cold earth.  Brindle deals with another pair, using his wand once more to launch a volley of missiles that strike unerringly and add to the growing mound of dead rats.

Aurion's bolt, alas, flies wide as Leisha regards the rats' nest once more, with much misgivings and breathing through her mouth.

Rats pour into the opening, if anything even more ferociously than before, though those at the front can see that at last the numbers seem to be dwindling, though there are still many of them.  Not that this is much comfort to Wrukaog and Cogwitz who both suffer bites, but even so, they fare better than the Sheriff's men - from where he stands the Orc can see that two men have already fallen and the rest fight with desperation to avoid the same fate. 

"You'll pay for this !" one squeaky voice rings out again while the other seems to be muttering something incomprehensible.  "I'll kill y..."

Silence.  No sound of rats or of battle or aught else, only the blood pounding in your ears from your exertions.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ... all of you except for Leisha are now within the area of effect of a Silence spell - Will Save vs DC15 to resist

Leisha's head lifts up, and she smiles.  "Oh, that's nice--" she begins, but then she looks over and sees that the sudden quiet doesn't signal any other change.

"Oh, dear," she amends.

Brindle grins at Aurion and offers him the wand of magic missiles that he has been using against the rats, knowing that Aurion has heard him speak its command word often enough to know how to use the wand as well.

"Here, use this," he says. What happens next will depend on Aurion's response and, indeed, whether Aurion even hears that offer or just sees Brindle's lips moving silently.

Ooc: Brindle rolled 16 on his Will save vs the silence spell. More actions to follow when I know Aurion's reaction.

Tesseryn is deafened by the spell.  He glances at the sheriff's party and sees no threat from them.  He levels his sword at the squeaky-voiced rat person to acknowledge and accept its challenge, then sweeps the sword down to dispatch the rat to his left and steps forward into its place.

Wrukaog sets himself in the opening of the tunnel and laughs loudly as he stomps on the rat that tried to sneak past him and one in front of him.

"Ha ha, big, beautiful, juicy rats! We're in for a humongous carking feast tonight, folks! I hope you like 'em well tenderised!"

OOC:
Wrukaog_ rolled 16 using 1d20-1.  Will save DC15 vs Silence spell.
Wrukaog_ rolled 21,13 using d20+8,d20+4.  Stomp 2 more rats.

Stepping forward 5', Aurion Moonbeak underscores his contempt for rat-faced spell casters with a heavy crossbow bolt. He shrugs as the bolt flies wide. "Such a satisfying contraption, yet I should stick to what I know best. Thank-you Master Thistlefoot." He sets down the crossbow and reaches out a hand to accept the offered wand.  One snake head appears from his sleeve to taste Brindle's wand with its tongue, the other appears at his ankle to taste a tenderised rat.

Cogwitz flicks his blades around dramatically and then swipes them both down again at the rats in front of him.

While Aurion was taking one last shot with his heavy crossbow Brindle used his wand to kill another couple of rats (to help Cogwitz and Tesseryn continue to advance) then passed it to Aurion when he was ready for it.

OOC: If Brindle can move 5 feet further forward as well as part of this action he will do so as he follows Cogwitz forward.
Brindle rolled 2,3,3,2 using d4+1,d4+1,d4+1,d4+1.  Magic missile damage on 2 rats.

Tesseryn, caught by the spell of blessed quietude, doesn't hear a word Leisha says as he handily dispatches a rat and advances, sword raised in silent challenge to the foe that lurk in the darkness of the tunnel ahead.  Cogwitz makes what can only be considered a valiant attempt to join him, slaying one of the two in his way, though the second stubbornly clings to life, snapping at his ankles and preventing him from stepping up alongside the Paladin.

While Aurion's bolt goes flying off into the darkness, Brindle blasts the two foremost rats then presses the wand upon the Elf in the hope that it serves him better than the heavy crossbow which the Elf has been wielding so ineffectually.

Holding the rear, against most of the remaining horde of rats and the Sheriff's men besides, Wrukaog crushes another of the vermin beneath his heel, but a second manages to avoid the sudden death challenge, squealing it's defiance.  The constables and guards naturally ignore the Orc entirely, being rather too concerned with the rabid rodents that assail them, and at this moment probably glad to have Wrukaog fighting on their side, though it is doubtful that there pleasure will outlive the rats, though they do reluctantly kill two more, bringing that moment just a little closer.

Perhaps feeling their end approaching, the rats respond with feral ferocity.  Cogwitz is swift enough to avoid harm, but Tesseryn's armour fails to protect him nor does Wrukaog's demeanour keep the vermin at bay !

From the rear, the squeaky voices sound again.  Once more, one of the pair seems to be chanting a prayer, though breaks off as the other complains loudly if rather incoherently, "Well that won't work if they can't hear you, will it !!" his words followed by a gulping sound. 

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

"Dauros Dauros you're the one..."  singing as he slays the rat in front of him "You make prayer time so much fun..." Tesseryn advances into its place  "Dauros Dauros I'm awfully fond of you..."  confident that no one can hear a word he says "Boop boop a doo!"

Brindle scurries over behind Tesseryn and peeks down the dark tunnel from behind the paladin's legs. He frowns at the darkness and chants a brief incantation to do something about it. Four tiny, yellow, dancing lights suddenly appear around Tesseryn then quickly advance down the tunnel until they illuminate the two squeaky-voiced creatures behind the hoard of rats.

OOC: Cast dancing lights spell.

Wrukaog stands his ground and dares any of the rats to come close enough to get stomped on. If they stay away he will just stand there and watch the fun of the humans fighting the rats, but more likely some more rats will come within kicking distance and he can have some more fun of his own.

OOC: Wrukaog_ rolled 27,19 using d20+8,d20+4.  Stomp 2 more rats.

Wincing at Tesseryn's singing, Aurion wishes he'd failed the save. "Hey Leish, apparently our paladin is also multilingual. He speaks Idiot."

He aims the wand over Cogwitz' head at the rats in the centre of the pack and dishes out two bolts each to two rats.

19:54, Today: Aurion Moonbeak_ rolled 5,4,4,5 using d4+1,d4+1,d4+1,d4+1.  Magic missiles to rats.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:27, Fri 18 Aug 2017.

Tesseryn's blade snickers out and dices the rat before him, though at least the silence spell spares the rodent the sound of the Paladin's singing as it perishes.

So too, another couple of the rats are blasted by Aurion, using the wand borrowed from Brindle, while Cogwitz carves up the only one still in reach of his flashing blades and Wrukaog stamps on a pair near the doorway as soon as they but glance towards him.  The Sheriff's merry band manage to deal with another three between them.

The ranks of the rats are thin indeed ... a matter that does not seem lost on the remaining four still in the tunnels which turn tail and flee, though if the Orc could count he'd note that there's a baker's dozen still in pitched battle with the locals.

Brindle's spell highlights the two squeaky voiced creatures at the rear of the pack, revealing them to be as much rat as man ... or probably a woman in the case of one, by her dress, if not her features.  Both of them sway slowly, obviously very intoxicated, though the male of the pair staggers forward, picking his way through the rats that hurry his way, to throw a punch at Tesseryn.

By some boon granted by whatever gods rats worship, the punch actually lands, though does naught more than rebound from the Paladin's sturdy armour.

"Oooow !" squeaks the squeaker holding up a sore paw.  "That hurt !"

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Brindle hisses at Aurion and says, "Shoot her! She's got the amulet."

In case there is any doubt who he means, Brindle speaks an incantation and points at the female were-rat, sending a scorching ray down the corridor to light her up.

OOC:
Brindle rolled 23 using 1d20+9.  Scorching ray to hit female were-rat.
Brindle rolled 12 using 4d6.  Scorching ray damage.

Once again Wrukaog stands his ground and dares any of the rats to come close enough to get stomped on. If they stay away he will just stand there and watch the fun of the humans fighting the rats, but more likely some more rats will come within kicking distance and he can have some more fun of his own.

OOC: Wrukaog_ rolled 13,15 using d20+8,d20+4.  Stomp 2 more rats?

"And risk hitting her bottle?!" Aurion_ hesitates, much aware of the rat's apparent intoxication. Then, remembering the rare and ancient emerald-flavored elven wine not long ago savoured at Milliways, he shrugs off doubt and levels the wand.

21:48, Today: Aurion Moonbeak_ rolled 5,4,3,5 using d4+1,d4+1,d4+1,d4+1.  four magic missiles to ratess.

OOC:  Objection!!  Tesseryn's sword does not 'snicker'.  The GM has has used an inappropriate verb and must recant forthwith or otherwise rectify the posted material.  Not that there is anything wrong with the word per say, only its use pertaining to a paladin's sword.  Applied to Cogwitz_' blades, for example, 'snicker' would seem well suited.  Appropriate verbs pertaining to the use of a greatsword would include: slash, scythe, cleave, slice, cut and hew.

Tesseryn steps back to lengthen his reach and hews (strike forcibly with an ax, sword, or other cutting instrument) at the drunken wererat with his greatsword.  (17 HP damage)