Morveya took Neo's warning with full seriousness, and made sure to stand clear.

She was certain this group was more than equal to dealing with these knobby little nuisances.  If they didn't fall prey to any well placed and devious traps.  She made it a point to be as extra-watchful and alert as she could be...

When Neo pulled the lever, the floor split open in the middle, leaving a narrow ledge of perhaps 9 inches on each side of the pit.  The pit itself continued for a distance of ten feet, and downward probably ten feet (for the most part) with some spikes just barely visible to those with infravision.

"Well, it can't harm us now that we know where it is. We probably should get going though. The proots' are probably trying to escape and may succeed if we don't hurry," Korin says. He takes a few steps down the passageway where the kobolds fled and then looks back to see if the others are coming

Aendyr drew both swords, and made his way nimbly around the pit to join Korin at the front of the vanguard.  He peered ahead to see what what lay before them.

"Do you suppose a kobold has to pull that lever with enemies standing on it to get trap door to open?   Maybe the weight of something heavier than a proot would trigger the trap on its own.  The lever might just be if they wanted to send something light down onto the spikes.  Personally, if I had a pit that opened with a lever I'd put in the head honcho's room where the visitors and minions stand.  Then when the big bad guy was displeased with these knuckleheads he'd pull the lever and they'd fall to their deaths, or at least fall to their grievous crippling.  That strikes me as something a big cheese could really go for."

"Having a pit out here sure didn't do them much good against crackerjack elite scouts like ourselves."

"Let's see if closes too." Neo moves the lever back to its original position.

With a return to the lever's original position, the floor also returned to its original position.

"I think Aendyr is right...anything weighing more than a kobold will likely spring the trap...I think it is best to leave it open, so we don't forget it is there."

Neo moves the lever again to open the trap door, and then carefully moves along the ledge to the other side.

"Aendyr, do you have some rope? It will help the others to cross."

"Sure as shooting."

Even though he'd only just drawn them, Aendyr sheathed his swords again.  Aendyr liked drawing and sheathing his swords.  He thought it looked cool and he practiced it a lot to get it just right.  He patted the rope coiled over his shoulder and chest to show he had it and began uncoiling a length of it.  Twenty feet ought to be plenty.  He could hold one end, but who would hold the other?

"We have my chum Tobias to thank for this rope.  After all my cherished belongings were stolen not too long ago, Tobias helped kit me out with proper adventuring gear like this rope.  I provided the coin and Tobias provided the knowledge of what I'd need.  Top man, that Tobias.  I'm not looking forward to having to re-outfit myself again in the future without his help, but I suppose we've got Quartermaster Sef Nodrov for that now.  Either that or maybe I can keep crooks' dirty mitts off the goods with the threat of sticking a long blade into their important bits more than once or twice."

---

"Toss the other end to Qrox, the two of you hold it taut so the others can use it for support.

Then three or maybe four of you hold this end, and Qrox can cross; if he falls you should be able to keep him from hitting the bottom...maybe all five of us should hold this end!

I'll keep watch on this side."

The kuduk unslings his bow and nocks an arrow, keeping an eye of the tunnel.

Aendyr gave Neo the thumbs-up, and tossed a bunch of rope with plenty of slack to Qrox.  He didn't think Drostan or Morveya would have any trouble getting past the pit.  They both looked pretty nimble.  It never hurt to have a rope there to steady yourself on just in case.

Qrox grabs the rope and crosses to the other side, being careful not to fall, doubting the rope would do much to slow the Slith's enormous size or weight.

Morveya had no great experience with this sort of thing, though it wasn't to say she had none at all.  Master Munny had believed any mage in training should develop their physical abilities as well as their mind.   She learned how to tumble, and then of course there were all the years of horseback riding.

At the appropriate moment, she was set to move on across...

With varying levels of agility, the six made their way across the pit, Drostan crossing last, as his strength helped keep the rope steady from that side.

They were in a rather irregular shaped room, with a fair bit of leaves and other rubbish on the ground.  A rustling from the rubbish revealed that this room was rather infested by large rats, which looked quite interested in trying to add adventurer to their diet.

With no hesitation Aendyr slaughtered the first two rats he saw.

"I didn't sign up for the Trozanian Army to be a vermin exterminator for kobolds," he said between the chopping blows.

---

17:58, Today: Aendyr rolled 7 using 1d10.  initiative.
17:58, Today: Aendyr rolled 17 using 1d20+4.  longsword to hit.
17:59, Today: Aendyr rolled 10 using 1d8+6.  longsword damage.
17:59, Today: Aendyr rolled 16 using 1d20+1.  shortsword to hit.
18:00, Today: Aendyr rolled 10 using 1d6+4.  shortsword damage.

"Kobolds and rats are often found together," Korin says between swings. "Always seemed fitting to me."

OOC:
18:19, Today: Korin Redbeard rolled 14 using 1d20+2.  to hit giant rat.
18:20, Today: Korin Redbeard rolled 7 using 1d8+5.  damage.

Neo decides to let the swordsmen deal with the rats, unless they became overwhelming, and continues to watch the corridor for larger foes.

Qrox gets a little smile and the tongue flicks a few times.  He pulls out the sickle and waits, rats are sometimes tasty.

"City officials should be found with them," added Morveya, "But most often it's those under their jurisdiction." 

Reckoning herself not the most efficient exterminator, she went to join Neo in watching the corridor.

While Drostan had been the last to cross, using his strength to support the one end of the rope as they crossed, he did not hesitate in trying to reduce the presence of the vermin--first catching only rubbish, but a moment later, neatly cleaving into one of the rats.

---

18:36, Today: DM, on behalf of Drostan, rolled 24 using 2d20 with rolls of 5,19.
18:36, Today: DM, on behalf of Drostan, rolled 5 using 2d4.  damage.

While the companions had been relatively efficient in destroying rats, it seemed that their actions only stirred things up.  While there were four dead rats amongst the debris, a large number were stirring--while it might be hard to count in the conditions of this littered room, there were fourteen still living rats.  One of them seemed to be wearing a collar of some sort which glittered.

While the rats made efforts to bite the invaders of the kobold cave, only one of them managed to latch on, biting Drostan's left leg (-3hp).

---

4 dead rats, 14 living
only damage taken by Drostan (3hp)

"There's a bunch of these buggers," Korin says between swings. His initial swing is off but he swings back again and pulverizes a rat.

OOC:
22:10, Today: Korin Redbeard rolled 5 using 1d20+2.  Korin 1st to hit on rats.
22:10, Today: Korin Redbeard rolled 15 using 1d20+2.  Korin 2nd to hit on rats.
22:10, Today: Korin Redbeard rolled 12 using 1d8+5.  damage.

"Damn it all! Keep an eye out for kobolds, Morveya."

Neo slings his bow onto his back, and jumps down, draws two daggers and  joins the fray.

---

Neo Shadowcloak rolled 3 and 18 for dual dagger attacks.
Neo Shadowcloak rolled 6 for dagger damage.

Rats in a leafy dung heap weren't the least bit interesting, but a rat with a glittering collar???  Now that was something!

"Say chums, this one's sporting jewelry.  Do you think she's the rat princess?"

With a single graceful hop he was instantly engaged with the collared rat in one-on-one combat.

"On a better day, out in a pleasant field without so many of your mangy murderous subjects around I might have a go at puckering up to see if you transform back into a beautiful elven maiden, but today I've got bad news for you."

He stabbed at the quick little bugger as it weaved and snarled nipping at his metal armor.

"Fiesty!  Have at thee, Vermin Princess."

Aendyr's short sword slash was better than his main weapon attack, but probably still not up to rat princess killing standards.  Luckily, his years and years of elegant and deceptive longsword fencing training left him with an unexpected final attack the rat never saw coming, and it was devastating.

---

01:48, Today: Aendyr rolled 7 using 1d10.  initiative.
01:48, Today: Aendyr rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  longsword to hit.
01:49, Today: Aendyr rolled 11 using 1d20+1.  shortsword to hit.
01:50, Today: Aendyr rolled 9 using 1d6+4.  shortsword damage (if hit).
01:50, Today: Aendyr rolled 15 using 1d20+4.  longsword to hit.
01:51, Today: Aendyr rolled 14 using 1d8+6.  longsword damage.

Qrox swings with the sickle but misses the nearest rat.