RoA - Curse of the Rat

ACT 1

The scene opens to the camp where Kamile (big bunny / Beastmaster), Poop (baby bunny / Vicar), and Mo (brown bunny / Geomancer) are talking about their trials and their next adventure in the upcoming northern town, Whimbleton. As they are getting ready, two villagers are heading in the opposite direction and see the friends. They greet them and are amazed by them being the heroes of Thorwal. Mo gloats over their praise while Poop remains modest. Kamile tells her to let Mo enjoy her gloating. "An adventurers life is a dark one. Let her enjoy this light," Kamile says. The villagers ask where the group is going, and they reply Whimbleton. Taken aback, the villagers say they came from there and are leaving it. When asked why, they try not to explain, but one accidentally says that people have been going missing, to which the other villager silences him. They then leave quickly so as not to say anymore.

Suspicious, the friends head to Whimbleton. Mysteriously, a rat is seen scurrying away before the friends even come into the city. Once within, the group sees a lively town that is bustling with business. They see many people leaving the town, however. A greeter welcomes them, and Mo asks why people are leaving. The greeter explains that people keep disappearing. Many think they're being taken into the sewers. The greeter immediately leaves afterwards.

In the center of town, the girls agree that something is up, so they decide to split up and gather more info. Mo wants to check out the tavern, Poop wants to go to the temple, and Kamile says she will go get them work at the guild.

First, Poop goes to the temple where she is greeted by a priest (red bear) who ushers her in. She enters and meets with the priests. They address her as a hero of Thorwal and everyone praying there look to her, in awe. One is praying for a miracle and the High Priest explains that miracles don't work that way. The man says that he donated 400 ducats, but the priest says, "I'm sorry, but that isn't how miracles work." The man is exasperated. Poop then meets with the High Priest, and he welcomes her, addressing her as Mother Poop. He says that she is their salvation in this troubled time. Poop asks him what he thinks is troubling the town. He then asks an attendant to take over for him, so he and Poop can leave and talk in private. Once at the back room, the High Priest explains that strange disappearances have happened all over town. People say the sewers are the cause, but this could just be hearsay, since the people working in the sewers are still there and have never disappeared. Poop thanks him for the info and leaves. After leaving, the attendant comes in and alerts the High Priest that a rat has been found inside the temple. He panics and the two rush away to deal with the situation.

Next, Kamile goes to the guild, where she finds Victor (red bear). He recognizes her as Kamile, the hero of Thorwal. a warrior (cat) and yet another who recognizes her and starts freaking out because of her reputation. Kamile is bashful and asks Victor about the town's events, but he acts like nothing is wrong. She wants to remain inconspicuous so she can have an easier time finding out new information, so she doesn't want the guildmates to fawn over her. Kamile asks Victor why everyone is watching them in Whimbleton. He tells her about the disappearances, but it is all hearsay. A crazed person comes in and yells that he is lying and that, in fact, the rats in the sewers are the ones taking people. Guards come and grab the man and drag him out, and everyone says he is crazy to speak of these strange rumors. Kamile returns to Victor and says that she is looking for work. She is looking for adventure, and he must have something that needs to be done. Victor explains that there is a band of brigands that are attacking the town, outside. She agrees to the job. Victor's guildmate explains that the brigands are really strong, and no one has beaten them. Victor says that they have sent 4 groups to fight them. and all of them have failed. Kamile grins, saying that she and her friends are not called heroes for nothing. She also says that there are only three of them, to which the guildmembers say that she is crazy if she thinks she can win. Kamile does not give in to their protests. Victor wishes Kamile good luck, and asks her to be careful out there for old time's sake. She winks at him and replies that she will be fine, saying, "After all, Victor, you should know."

Lastly, Mo arrives at the tavern. The back and front elves are dancing, and all the patrons are having lively discussion. She spots the bar and goes up where the innkeeper (the fish) gives her a drink and welcomes her to the inn. "You're a Silvan elf," he says. "Not just any Silvan Elf," comes a man's voice, who is revealed to be Greenie. The two embrace and Mo asks what he is doing in Whimbleton. Greenie explains that he is here to figure out what has been going on at the town. He and James are here to figure out why people keep disappearing. Greenie waits for the innkeeper to attend someone else before he continues, saying that people are being taken into the sewers. Those working in the sewers still remain and have not encountered anything strange, however. The innkeeper returns to give another drink but he is a different person (the bat). This isn't noticed, and Greenie explains that he's been here a few weeks, finding the town strange and unsettling. He agrees with Mo that there is a feeling like he's always being watched. He gives her an item which is for Poop. He says that she will know what to do with it when the time comes. The two say goodbye and Greenie kisses Mo on the cheek, wishing her to stay safe. He then leaves. At the same time, the door opens and a noble Attendant enters, parallel to Greenie leaving. To his appearance, the entire inn goes dead silent and people start to appear nervous. The attendant calls out and asks for volunteers. "Is anyone here willing to help?" he asks. He sees Mo and walks over to her, asking if she would like to volunteer in order to save the town. She questions him, and he explains that strange disappearances have been happening all over town, and he represents the Magister, who is the noble in town trying to find out why people are disappearing. The Attendant asks if Mo will join, and seeing it as a noble cause, Mo agrees. After doing so, a stern voice emanates from the crowd, saying "No, she will not go with you!" A red haired female dwarf stands up. This captures the Attendant's attention, and he becomes angry. He demands that the woman not interfere with their discussion. This woman wants to help the town, so she fights back, yelling, "No she will not go with you! You take people and abduct them, just the same! Those who volunteer for your cause are never seen again!" After further words, the man draws his sword and demands Mo come with him. Mo, initially unsure, now sides with the dwarf and agrees not to go with him. Seeing this woman slandering the Magister, the Attendent challenges them to a fight.

Fight - Attendant (tall blue bear / Blood Adept / PL2) vs. Dwarven Woman (red bear / Templar / PL1) and Mo (brown bunny / Geomancer / PL1).

The heroes win and the dwarven woman approaches and recognizes Mo, asking her, "You travel with Kamile, don't you? You must be Mo." Mo asks how she knows that and the dwarf replies, "I am Smooch. I once traveled with Kamile and her company. Now she has come to this town to discover why people are disappearing. So far, people are saying it is coming from the sewers but this Magister has been getting volunteers from the town and taking them away where they are never seen again." Seeing this has more validity, Smooch has been pursuing the Magister ever since, trying to gather info on them so as to figure out where people have been disappearing to. Mo agrees that this is mysterious and takes this info with her back to her friends.

The women regroup and exchange info, and Kamile says that they have their first job. Upon leaving the city, a rat is seen running out of sight.

Outside the town, the girls follow the road to where the brigands are and come upon a rat that stops opposite them. A man appears out of the bushes and kneels down to talk to the rat. He mutters some words to it and it runs away. "You are the heroes that have come to Whimbleton," he says. They agree, and he calls his friends out. "Well, the Magister wants you dead, so we are here to ensure that happens. Magister's orders."

Fight 2 - Boss (the dog / Swashbuckler / PL2), Brigand Spellweaver (brown bear / Acid Adept / PL 1), Militia A (fish / Archer/ PL1), and Militia B (vixen / Acrobat / PL1).vs. Mo (PL2), Kamile (PL1), and Poop (PL1).

After the heroes have won the battle, but before the brigands die, Mo asks who sent them. The boss says that they were hired by the Magister to stop those trying to thwart his plans. The girls explain how serious the matter is, and they should address it with this Magister, but after the long fight, Kamile and Poop say that they should rest.

The women return to town, since it is getting late. Villagers tell them that It is not good to be out, since the town is dangerous at night. The friends ask why, but the villagers become worried and rush home without giving an answer. The girls return to the inn, and as soon as Kamile enters, she plops down on the bed and falls asleep immediately. Mo hears the scurrying of rats outside and asks if Poop heard it as well, to which she asks, "Heard what?" Poop then goes to bed, but Mo can't rest. She's restless, and continues to hear sounds, outside. Mo decides to go out and see what is going on.

Mo leaves the room and finds the inn completely empty. Not even the innkeeper is there. She heads out into the barren, empty streets of the nighttime town. Mo sees a priestess (red bear) running desperately and carrying something. She follows the priestess and stops in the middle of the courtyard, where two Magister attendants (another tall blue bear and the brown bear) meet with her. They discuss who she is, and that she isn't the same messenger as last time. The priest tells them that the old messenger has gone missing, and she is the replacement. The attendant asks if she has the merchandise, and she agrees, but he does not trust her.He tells her that she could be evil, and he doesn't trust her. She is overwhelmed and gently puts down the merchandise, asking them to take it and leave her alone. She is frightened. They do not agree and start unsheathing their blades. Mo then steps out and tells them to leave the priestess alone. She asks the priestess to run away, while she can. She does and Mo starts fighting the Attendants. The brown bear picks up the merchandise, and the blue bear tells him to return to the Magister. He will handle this alone. They fight.

Fight 3 - Attendant (blue bear / Barbarian / PL3) vs. Mo (PL3).

Upon winning, Mo searches the man's body and finds a pass card to the Magister. She then hears a scream and runs to its origin. Mo sees scurrying in the shadows, but when she comes into view, she finds the dead body of the priestess in the middle of the street. She is saddened by her loss and decides to return to the inn.

The following morning, the girls wake up refreshed, except for Mo, who is traumatized. Poop is puzzled by this and Mo tells her what happened last night. The scene fades out and in to pass the time. The women then leave and see two priests near by. One (dancer), is crying profusely, and the other (the lion) is comforting him. He explains he misses the priestess, who was found murdered, last night. The heroes ask what happened, and he replies that she was a messenger. Mo says she knew her and the crying man hesitates to reveal more. The other comforts him and explains it's okay, and the women can be trusted. He then begins explaining that she was running a package last night in lieu of the one prior being abducted, but the Magister's men killed her. Mo says that she is sorry for his loss, and asks what was in the merchandise. He says it was a rat for their research. The Magister is trying to stop the rats from plaguing the town. Poop is taken aback and says that she needs to return to the temple so she can ask the High Priest about what is going on. The two priests then say their goodbyes and leave. Mo suggests that they need to go to the sewers and get to the bottom of this. She says something is going on there and they need to find out what. Mo and Kamile go to the sewers and agree to wait there for Poop. They depart. As soon as the door closes behind them, all the patrons get up and rush toward the innkeeper. It is not seen what becomes of him.

Poop returns to the temple where a new priest is there to greet her and welcome her back. She asks to see the High Priest, saying it is urgent. He takes her through the temple to see him. As she passes through, she sees at a glance the other people praying. Beside one of them is a person that looks human, but it has a rat's face. It is praying next to an actual person. Past the room where she had talked to the High Priest earlier, the priest opens the door but finds the High Priest talking to someone. He is saying things like, "Why did you kill her? She was not one of the turned people! She was just doing her job! How could you?!" The priest closes the door and tells Poop to wait until the High Priest is done talking. Poop nods, and the man leaves. Fortunately, Poop had stopped the door from completely closing, so she  goes in while the High Priest is still talking to someone through a crystal ball. He demands whoever he was talking to to stop trying to attack the temple, saying it is the last place in the town untainted by the sewers. "Do not kill my priests again!" he threatens. Poop then makes her presence known, and the High Priest stops the communication immediately. He is surprised to see Poop, and asks what she is doing. Poop asks what the High Priest is doing. He says that he is trying to protect the town as best as he can. He then creates a bubble around them that will only last for the next 5 minutes where they won't be bothered or spied on. He then tells her that there are magical rats in the sewers that are evil, and they are slowly corrupting the town. He is trying to stop them. Fortunately, the temple is the only place that is not connected to the sewers. There is a queen rat which controls them, and is the cause of their domination. People have been changed by them. Unfortunately, the bubble's magic expires and he returns to speaking vaguely. Poop wishes him well in his endeavor, and meets up with her party.

Meanwhile, Mo and Kamile stop to wait by the sewers and are approached by Magister attendants. One is the man she saw earlier who identifies her as the one who killed the other attendant. The girls are charged as criminals and are asked to go to the Magister to be persecuted. Kamile urges that they wait for Poop, and then access the sewers. Mo has to make a decision and she agrees to wait for Poop. This angers the Magister's Attendent and the other man leaves, while the remaining two attendants draw weapons and fight.

Fight 4 - Attendant A (tall blue bear / Magi Knight / PL3) and Attendant B (dandee / Exarch / PL3) vs. Mo (PL3), Kamile (PL2), and Poop (PL2), who arrives to battle after two rounds.

After winning, the women agree that it's time to go to the sewers. They depart into the depths.

ACT 2

Entering the sewers, Mo casts the light spell, Fiax Lux. The women meet a maintenance worker, who asks them if they are with the Magister. Mo answers yes, and shows him the card she had taken from the Attendant. Kamile is surprised and asks Mo how she got it. Mo tells her not to worry about it. This makes Kamile uneasy. Seeing the badge, the worker agrees that the women are who they are, and says that there is still nothing new in the sewers. The workers have been charged by the Magister to clean the entirety of the sewers, and they are to keep an eye out in case the rats show up. Rarely do the workers discover them, however, but if they do, they exterminate them. Surprisingly, there's been no activity recently. Mo asks about the research the Magister is doing, but the worker suggests she talk to the Magister about it, herself. The two parties say goodbye and the girls continue into the sewers.

Video clip one

The friends see a pack of rats running toward them, followed by a man that lights them on fire. He lifts his helmet and talks to them, introducing himself as the keeper. He and his men have been maintaining the sewers. Mo asks about the Magister and he explains that the Magister is working to end the rats. They have expanded throughout the sewers, since the sewers connect every house, building, inn, shop, and main building in the entire town. They are trying to watch over the sewers and ensure no rats are encountered, otherwise exterminating them if they are. The only place that the sewers do not connect to is the temple, which is made entirely of fortified stone. The keeper has no idea how the priests take a shit but he understands their insistence on not having a network of sewers added to the temple. A worker then shows up and explains they found an infestation in the A Sector. The keeper becomes alarmed and asks the women to excuse him. He says he was patrolling this area, right below the Magister's mansion, and the rats are mostly seen trying to come towards here. He leaves them and takes off with the worker, issuing orders to assemble the other workers.

Once gone, the friends continue forward with the intention of finding a way into the Magister's keep.

Video clip two

Turning the corner, the friends witness a giant rat eating. When seen, it runs away into the darkness of the sewers until only its echo reminds them of its existence. Unsettled, the girls continue further and find a stairwell that leads to a gate. It is locked, so Kamile says that she can unlock it, but needs some time. While she works, the sewers become very dark, and the women hear the scurrying of rats all around them. Mo and Poop have a bad feeling, and ask Kamile to hurry. Soon, the sound of the rats gets to the edge of the light's vicinity and they become silent.

Fight 5 - Small rats enter the battle, two at a time. They start with 6 HP and deal 1 damage each. After one is killed, each successive rat gets stronger as they enter the field. One rat appears the following round after another has been killed previously. Progression: 6 HP / 1 damage, 8 HP / 2 damage, 10 HP / 3 damage, and the rats' strength caps at 12 HP / 4 damage. After capping, 1 big rat enters the fight. Upon death, they enter the battle after 1 round has passed, after another has died. Big rat (baseball bunny / Wirem Host / PL2). All of the rats must be killed in a single round in order to beat the fight.

After much fighting, Kamile finally breaks the lock and the gate opens. The girls rush up the ladder. Upon exiting, a big rat tries to chase them, but Mo slams the gate down and seals the gate with a Claudibus spell. Now inside the mansion, the girls gather themselves and move forward. They find themselves on the second floor of the mansion, which oversees a foyer. Below, in the open main room, are seen countless people conducting research on rats in magical spheres of protection. Attendants are perusing the aisles and checking in on the researchers, answering questions. Inside the spheres, the rats are occasionally electrocuted in their experiments. The friends do not disturb them and walk around the balcony of the elevated foyer, arriving at the central doors. They enter the next room but are caught by the attendant that has always been watching them. "You keep interfering with the Magister and now you have come into the heart of his very estate," he says. "You are criminals for going against him! What are you doing here?" The scene fades to black as Mo explains what has happened thus far. After fading back, Mo says that they need to get to the bottom of this, and need to know what is the Queen rat. She asks why and what are they doing here, and says that she needs to speak with the Magister. Two more attendants show up and the man agrees and says that they are indeed researching the rats, since they are magical. They are trying to learn how to beat them. He then stops and says that the Magister knows more. The friends are taken to the Magister (patches) who reveals to them everything. He explains that the town is at war against the rats. They are magical rats with the power of mind control and are incredibly intelligent. One by one, they have corrupted the people and turned them into their puppets. They dwell within the sewer and are led by the Queen rat. The Magister then tells them that he is the one who created her. She has since become incredibly powerful and has assimilated the town. The Magister now seeks to end her and free the town. All are amazed at his story, and he continues. "Now that you know this, you are still criminals, going against my plans. You must be stopped and we must kill you," he says. One of the attendants closes the door behind them and everyone readies to fight. Mo recalls the item Greenie had given her and uses it. The gem glows a brilliant pinkish hue and shines out across the room. In doing so, rats jump off the back of the heads of the Magister and the two attendants. The rats become visible and are revealed to have been invisible all along. After they detach, they fall to the floor, dead. Upon doing so, the Magister and his men regain consciousness and realize what they have been doing: trying to kill through blind distrust. They realize they were being dominated by the rats. The Magister reveals that they had reached the Queen, but when they had, everything changed and they were dominated. The Queen has all along been housed in the sewer underneath the temple, since that is where all his endeavours were focused on. That is why the temple was so mistrusted. This news breaks Poop's heart and she tells her friends that she needs a moment, where she begins to silently cry. Now knowing all of this, Mo and friends realize that they need to go back to the temple and stop the Queen. Now, with the Magister and his party in tow, both groups proceed to leave. When they open the door, the entire mansion's people are blocking their exit. "We will defend the Queen. You will not go near her!" they say. The squeaking of rats crawling in the walls can be heard. The Magister steps forward and tells the heroes, "We will take care of this. You three go. Get to the sewers and kill the Queen!" Grateful but saddened to leave so suddenly, Mo and her team make a run for it while the Magister and company guard their escape. Returning to the gate, Mo casts Foramen in order to open it, while she hopes that the rats aren't there, waiting for them. Upon opening the gate, there is nothing obstructing the womens' way, and they proceed into the sewers.

Now in the sewers, the girls travel to the temple. Midway though, they are stopped by the keeper, Victor, and the warrior from the guild. Kamile is horrified, and she realizes that they had been dominated all along, including Victor. She pleads that he not fight her, but he pays her no mind. The sound of rats can be heard everywhere as the keeper steps forward and says that they cannot let the women near the queen.

Fight 6 - Keeper (dancer / Trapper / PL3), Warrior (cat / militia / PL3), and Victor (red bear / Blackguard / PL3) vs. Mo (PL3), Kamile (PL3), and Poop (PL3).

The heroes win, rendering their foes unconscious. Kamile is distraught to leave them, and tries to shake Victor out of his stupor, but Mo knows they need to go. The friends continue on. Arriving at the temple, they see a solid stone wall at the end of a hallway. Knowing it is just a ruse, Kamile tells them to leave this to her and transforms into a dragon. She breathes dragon's breath onto the wall, melting it away in the heat. This reveals a passage further in and they enter, now below the temple.

Entering a giant square room, the rattling of thousands of rats echoes all around the women. The room is empty, aside from two people present, the High Mage and his attendant priest. Poop walks forth and confronts him, saying "It was you all along!" The high priest turns to her and replies, "I have done everything i can to keep this town safe. I have protected my kind ever since we were created. You would do the same if this was your species." As he says this, a rat crawls up his side, which he turns and pets gently. Two big rats enter the room, as well. Poop exclaims, "You are not who you are! We need to put an end to this! You cannot control people anymore!"

Fight 7- High Priest (bird / Cipher / PL3), 2 big rats (baseball bunny, gift bear / Wirem Hos/ PL3), and 2 small rats vs. Mo (PL3), Kamile (PL3), and Poop (PL3). Again, the rats follow the same gradual progression as before, but start at 8HP 3 damage, and the big rats start capped at 14HP. The High Priest must be killed, and then resurrected via Poop's spell, Divine Consolation. When she does so, he is restored and the Queen rat herself fades into visibility and detaches from his back. Her immense size is noted as she detaches from him. The High Priest then collapses to the ground. Now revealed, the scurrying noises of rats maximizes and the Queen rat enters the fight, roaring maliciously.

Continue fight with Queen rat (monkey / Wirem Host, Cipher / PL4, with 75HP and dual cast boss powers).

In the fight, both the queen and Kamile as a dragon clash; two great beasts battling it out as the other two cast their spells around them. In the end, the heroes vanquish the Queen. Mo deals the final blow with Geothermal Ray, boring a hole into the Queen's side, before she falls to the floor, dead.

Upon her death, starting at her location and expanding outwards in a ring, thousands and thousands of rats covering the floor appear as they are dispelled of their invisibility. They are seen dead, as well. They are almost like water around the friends, covering their feet. Shocked, the High Priest and his attendant wake up and realize what has happened. They approach Poop and the High Priest says that he knew she was their salvation. The friends then gather and make their way back to town. As they go through the sewers, countless dead rats are seen all around the entire city. It is realized that they had been around the entire time, only invisible.

Now plays the end scene of everyone in the tavern. The original innkeeper is back and the three friends come in to talk with Greenie and James. They rejoice that they have saved the town, and it is now back to normal. They then wonder about the next town they will be going to, and Greenie asks Mo if she would like to come with them. Poop meets with the High Priest and they discuss the resolving of the temple, and are glad that all is at peace once more.The High Priest thanks Poop for saving the town. Victor walks up to Kamile, who is delighted to see him well. Victor asks jokingly, "Well, you did get the adventure you were looking for, huh?" Greenie reveals that he has been talking with some friends, and at their table is the Magister and his attendants, who formally extend thanks to Mo for saving the town. "If it were not for your heroic deeds," the Magister says, "the mistake of my own undertaking would have consumed the entire town." Mo asks them not to make another rat queen, to which the Magister says,"Absolutely not!" A laugh is shared and a round of drinks is given to everyone. Mo then calls out a toast, "To our next adventure!" and all raise their cups in unison, banging them together and ringing in a good time.

THE END