OOC: Point of order while waiting upon Leisha and Cogwitz_

In a completely fair and impartial spirt, the Paladin's objection is utterly overruled (as if there was ever any doubt).  I rely, of course on the precedent cited in Beamish Boy vs Jabberwock where, and I quote, it was proven beyond all doubt, reasonable or otherwise, that "The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!", and while Tesseryn's greatsword may or may not be vorpalish per se, given his damage bonus, there's been a LOT of severing going on, certainly enough that one would certainly be excused if one assumed vorpalnessity on the facts available, leaving such a one to further deduce snickering if not snackering.  :>

OOC: there is no disputing that a sword may snicker.  The objection is that it would not do so in the hands of a paladin, or more specifically this paladin.  Nonetheless the GM's word is final.  That leaves no option but to sheathe the object before further offence can be taken, ie. the paladin must strike.  To circumvent such action the GM may offer a rationalisation for the sword's continued use, perhaps pertaining to deafness (a paladin must sometimes make sacrifices for the greater good) or bestow vorpalness upon the sword thereby making snickering appropriate (every paladin has his price).

Having nothing immediately at hand to shoot with, Cogwitz sizes up these new opponents, snickering quietly as he does.


OOC: Sorry!  I know that doesn't seem like much of a move at this point, but I'm having to learn a lot about how Cogwitz works.  Not sure what's holding that Leisha up, though.  Sheer laziness, probably.

Leisha continues to keep an eye on things, in case anyone seems to need her.  The unnatural silence that, so far as she can tell, settled only on Tesseryn, draws her to musing that if she were to submit an amicus curiae to the proceedings in, for example, a judicial case in what sort of sound a Paladin's sword might properly make, she would argue that the Vorpal Blade is most commonly shown as a two-handed sword (or at least, being wielded two-handed.  In fairness, the young and inexperienced state of the Beamish Boy might be a factor here), and is most definitely seen used by a person of pure heart to defeat, in single combat, a creature commonly presumed to be of great evil.  "Snicker," in such a case, is clearly not related to the sniggering vernacular, but rather a unique context that offers no insult to any Paladin.

Satisfied with the soundness of her hypothetical case, she imagines a standing ovation from the jury as she watches.

OOC: Leisha's argument does neatly support that of the GM (applause) and suggests a third possible resolution.  The unique case speculated refers to the use of 'snicker-snack' whereas the GM used the abbreviated form 'snickered' thereby exposing the use of the verb to misinterpretation.  Options for resumption of paladinly service now include:
1. GM offers rationalisation
2. GM bestows vorpalization
3. GM gives clarification by amending the original post to "Tesseryn's sword snicker-snacks out ..." thus avoiding ambiguity or any hint of improper use of a greatsword.

OOC: ... as one learned and reliable and most rational source has it, Vorpal might be derivative of verbal and gospel so very much befitting a mouthy paladin.  Later, more common usage seems to have adopted the term in relation to particular magic properties of slashing weapons and ... oh, you're all more interested in what's actually happening in the fight ?  Well, then ...  ;>

Meanwhile, back in the rat-corpse infested tunnels ...

Wrukaog's disappointment is palpable (whether the Orc knows the meaning of the word or not) as the rats keep their distance from him - indeed it's hard to say whether the frenzy with which they throw themselves at the Sheriff's men is due to hatred of their opponents, sheer orneriness, or that Wrukaog terrifies them.

With the discovery that the female of the rodentine species is wearing the stolen amulet that you seek, Brindle hurls a fiery ray in her direction while Aurion, exhorted by the Halfling to do likewise, does likewise and sends four mystical globes of energy her way.  Both strike with an impressive display of heat and burning fur and flesh, wounding the female were-rat badly and reducing her to tears.

With the skill and finesse of a lumberjack, Tesseryn levels his enormous blade and swings it mightily, chopping at the inebriated creature that stands before him, nursing its paw.  The blow is an impressive one, and might easily have felled a sapling, but seems to have much less of an impact upon the were-rat, save to elicit another even more shrill "Ow !" of complaint which falls upon the Paladin's deaf ears. 

Fighting to hold back a smile, Cogwitz considers the were-pair carefully, electing to sheathe his kukuri and pull forth his dagger, while Leisha moves up next to the very silver statue of Mitra to keep an eye on you all, standing lost in uffish thought.

Wrukaog looks on as the Constables manage to slay another few rats, but another of the men goes down, creating an opening through which the rest of the rodents swiftly head for.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

OOC: crisis averted... The GM has used appropriate verbage swing and chop.  Industrial action deferred, much to the relief of the paladin who really would rather get on with snicker-snackering the wererat.

Tesseryn feels inspired to chop some trees, or at least the ratman in front of him, and puts full power into his next swing.
22:40, Today: Tesseryn Brightsoul rolled 22 using 2d6+17.  Sword to wererat PA5.
22:38, Today: Tesseryn Brightsoul rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Sword to wererat PA5.

"This should put her out of her misery." Aurion_ waves Brindle's Magic wand and sends more mystic bolts her way.

Partial update for the above:

Aurion's words prove prophetic as the female wererat falls before the barriage of mystical missiles that strike her, lying lifeless on the ground, a plume of smoke rising from her corpse.

Her companion fares but little better as the Paladin's sword slices into him, the powerful blow leaving him bleeding badly and reeling, barely able to stand on his feet.

"Shpare me !" the wererat pleads, his predicament penetrating the alcoholic haze that permeates his brain.

Tesseryn' deftly ignores the wererat's pleas and frowns back in a 'no one can hear your vile words' kind of way.

As the rats seem determined to spoil his fun by not coming within kicking distance, Wrukaog looks around for another target. The whimpering wererat immediately draws his attention, so he strides back beside Tesseryn and swings his greataxe in a sweeping blow intended to put the wererat out of its misery once and for all.

OOC: Wrukaog_ rolled 31 using 1d20+13.  Greataxe to hit wererat.
Wrukaog_ rolled 21 using 1d12+12.  Graetaxe damage on wererat.

"Yay, the rat infested tunnels are ours." Aurion quickly slips past the front line to get a closer look at the amulet on the ratess. He hands Brindle's wand back as he passes. "Thank you master Thistlefoot, I dare say there is still a little magic left in the old stick yet."

Brindle grins as he accepts the wand back from Aurion.

"Oh yes, still a bit left. I have certainly had good value for money from this one."

He follows Aurion down the tunnel to have a closer look at the female wererat.

The wererat's pleas for mercy fall upon deaf ears, both figuratively and literally.  Indeed, Wrukaog seems to find them particularly irritating and so abandons his vigil to do something about it, the thud of his great axe resolving the problem nicely.

Handing back the magic wand to Brindle, Aurion leads the Halfling in a rush to examine the female of the species and in particular the amulet that hangs around her neck, a golden pendant fashioned in the shape of a lion with a large topaz in its mouth, of very similar design to the ring that Sir Holmir gave to Tesseryn.  It sits rather uncomfortably next to the familiar symbol of Set, a coiled serpent fashioned from dark metal (though this lacking the lion of Mitra on the obverse as was worn by the false acolytes above) which she also wears.

Also of interest is the small matter that the ratess lies in a small puddle of strong spirits, undoubtedly spilled from the goblet that lies besides her, dropped when she succumbed to the spells hurled her way.  The light is poor, but the cup, carved from green crystal and embellished with silver and diamonds appears to be rather valuable. 

In the chamber behind you, the sounds of battle reach the ears of everyone except Tesseryn, indicating that the Sheriff and his men are finally gaining the upper hand against the rats ...

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Brindle points at the amulet and tells Aurion, "You look after the amulet and I'll mind the goblet. It's a shame she spilled it but with a bit of luck we might find the rest of the bottle somewhere a bit further on."

He grins at that.

Wrukaog gives the ratman's corpse a good kick, just because he can, then he walks back to fetch the silver statue. Finding Leisha standing there like a lost sheep he shepherds her back to the rest of the group too.

"We gonna go find some more rats to beat up now?" he asks, pointing towards the unexplored tunnels behind Brindle and Cogwitz.

This message was deleted by the player at 15:24, Sat 16 Sept 2017.

Tesseryn stoops to search the ratman's body.  He's looking for the amulet, unaware that its been found on the ratwoman.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Sat 16 Sept 2017.

"Keep it safely Master Thistlefoot, its worth is greater than the value of this village of Mitra's Fist." Aurion gingerly takes the golden lion amulet, and the dark metal symbol of Set, then searches the corpse more thoroughly.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:46, Sat 16 Sept 2017.

Silently Tesseryn squats down to examine the body of the rat-man.  The creature's clothing is of excellent quality, though badly stained and nowhere near decorous enough for the Paladin's taste - indeed the loose shirt does naught to conceal a hand shaped scar upon the rat-man's chest where the bristly hair does not grow.

However, he does sport a signet ring of modest value, and bears a sword in the sheathe at his side, though the stylised serpent's head on the pommel might be offensive to some.

The rat-woman's attire would almost certainly bring a blush to Tesseryn's cheeks, though Aurion bats not an eye at the rather diaphanous garment, and it is quite obvious that she has naught else of value or interest upon her person.

Tesseryn notes the scar, and will remember to tell his companions about it when they can hear him.  He pockets the signet ring, draws the serpent-headed sword from its scabbard and leans it against the wall.  He stands and with a self-satisfied-doing-good-and-smiting-evil grimace prepares to plant his armoured boot to break the blade (next round...).

Fingering a diaphanous veil or two, Aurion decides that, even if they could be cleansed, they would clash with blue and gold garments. He looks ahead down the rat tunnel illuminated by Brindle's yellow lights then gasps as he glances back towards the party.

"Stop him!" he splutters as he lunges back down the passage to rescue a most innocent looking serpent headed sword.

Wrukaog still grips Leisha by one hand and carries the silver statue in his other arm. So he lowers his shoulder and bumps Tesseryn away from the sword then kicks it down the tunnel toward Aurion.

Brindle glances back at the disturbance behind him for a moment then shakes his head sadly. With a sigh he turns back to the tunnels ahead and sends his dancing lights down the northern tunnel to see what lies ahead that way.

"Thank you master Orc." Aurion's snakes slither out from his sleeve to taste the metal as he gathers up the sword.