The party spends more time investigating. They make their way to an old kitchen, now walled off from the rest of the house. There they encounter the brute and a few more ratmen, plus some standard issue rats. Digin gets a nasty bite and it seems clear that he will be infected with some terrible debilitating disease before too long. Hopefully his robust constitution will prolong the agony – err…allow him to resist the ill effects.
The silent gnome is sent ahead to scout the top of the stairwell and he spies some larger than normal rats, one with a mane of tentacles. Now, the gnome is no biologist, but that seems odd. The rest of the light footed folks are summoned and they attack the rats with all they have. They manage to slay all of the larger rats within a minute, just in time to hear approaching reinforcements! The reinforcements are pustule-covered ratmen riding huge and hideous scabby rats. Yeah, probably best if contact is avoided and the group manages to slay everything without much risk. They earn a few dragon pistols as a reward and the itchy one is very pleased.
They scout about some more, finding a ritual room and a bedroom on the floor above – well appointed with a large bathtub, bed and small office space. Some ledgers and journals are discovered and perused. Some information is discovered about the slide of the brothel into cult headquarters. More investigation is undertaken and eventually they search the rooftop gardens, looking for a key that is mentioned in one of the journal entries. One thing leads to another rooftop tower entrance and they find a ladder stretching upwards into a previously undiscovered area. The gnome scales the ladder and then his lifeless body plummets to the ground, the top half is pulped and the bottom half is oozing fecal matter and prolapsed intestines. The group is alarmed. A quick recon reveals that there is a terrible monster – made of leftover bits of bodies, wires and strange tubes in the room at the top of the ladder. The decision is made to retreat and the group returns to the lavish bedroom discovered earlier. Fingers is deposited in the tub. Gome soup.Mmmm mmm.
The following day, the spider-crawling Zaal gets a rope to a bridge that is above the strange mechanoman, and the group begins climbing. While Bayga is making his ascent, the tower door bursts open and the monster attacks. Digin opens with a ferocious swing of the axe, crushing one of the monster’s heads. The fight is swiftly concluded and the exploration of the lair begins. Treasure and clues are looted, including what is thought to be one-half of a key mentioned in the journals. While this is occurring, Digin climbs to the top of the tower and spots some hell-hounds patrolling the rooftops. He decides to shoot at one and succeeds in striking it. Others ascend the ladder to survey the scene. This prompts an attack by a goat-legged horned creature that leaps into the towertop and begins striking viciously at all within reach. To make matters worse, it begins rapidly shifting in and out of the party’s space, making it nigh impossible to hit. It is the magical robe of Zaal that helps carry the day, giving the elf the ability to track the monster’s extra-planar excursions. They tried to stab it with their steely knives, but the beast beats the brakes off most of the party and everyone is forced to withdraw. In the end it is the plucky elf and brave assists by KegDrain that carry the day.
They are forced to withdraw to the bedroom again and spend a day patching up the party and waiting for folks to regain consciousness. It was a near thing, and the end of their rations signals that it might be time to retreat for a few days. They return to Delver’s Square, back to the trusty flophouse, and seek a disease cure for Digin. They split, sell and dispose of Finger’s gear – then go about looking for a replacement for Fingers. Digin and KegDrain frequent the nearby tavern and chat up prospective party members. Eventually they recruit another gnome with the Fingers surname far from home and decide upon a plan of action. In the days spent pubbing, Digin has come across information that strongly implies that the group’s forays into the mansion of culty brothelness have not gone completely unnoticed. Hmm.
No matter – a plan is hatched and executed over the next two days. Old crates are salvaged from behind tavern row and repurposed to temporarily store invisible party members and their gear. Bayga hires a teamster and wagon, paying to have the crates delivered near the Sage’s Library in Oldtown. When the teamster departs, Bayga opens the crates and releases the invisible group into the street. He walks around, sightseeing and drifting towards the cliffs that separate Oldtown from the Noble’s Quarter. When the moment is right, he also becomes invisible and the group slowly and quietly completes the walk to the manor house.
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