Group 22

Post by **Kinslayer** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:01 pm

Seeing Draco lying dead upon the stone floor, Vryala called out into the darkness with an echoing laugh at the merchants demise. The tunnel had been silent and still before, or so they thought, but after the warriors voice echoed away into the distance the passage fell more silent than ever. For a moment even the rats ceased their gnawing on the bones of the dead elf, looking up at the mercenaries with unthinking eyes before scurrying off in the other direction, deeper into the dark. The rats came back a moment later, or so it seemed. Only this time they were vastly different, suddenly much larger. Their eyes now betrayed no hint of unintelligence, just red orbs of sinister genious. As the rat-things drew closer, the bleached bone of their three-inch teeth caught the light, the rest of their snouts hidden below dark folds of hooded robes. Going by the number of red eyes now staring at them, there was at least a dozen of the foul ratmen.

It was at that moment that the scratching and the chittering returned, only this time it was not from the passage in front of them. This time it was coming from behind them too.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:09 pm

Ambush V thought, spinning round blade first. Elysian, behind me! We're under attack!

Vryala defends the group from... whatever

Post by **Drainial** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:32 pm

This was an unexpected turn of events, their quarry was no more but he had a feeling that the merchant's killers were going to prove a lot more trouble than tracking him down themselves would have been.

Skaven, there were always rumours about them of course but he had never seen one in the flesh before, now he got to see lots of them. However although there were several in sight he did not for one moment think that they could see all of them.

"Elysian, behind me! We're under attack!" Vryala ordered, seeing no reason to object he did so, stepping behind her and to the left so that he was partially covered by her shield while making sure not to crowd her sword arm.

The ratmen did not seem to be attacking just yet though no doubt they would shortly. Idly spinning his staff in one hand as he thought Elysian decided that he really wanted to see what they were up against. Using shadows to obscure and confuse was his usual line of work but now the darkness was being used against him and that was something he could perhaps do something about. Reaching out into the darkness he attempted to push to blackness back.

As mentioned above, Elysian will step behind Vryala and try to use his tricks to see through the gloom and get a better idea of what we are facing.

Khel · Post by **Khel** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:51 pm

Drawing his axe once again, Sal backed up towards his comrades. In the pitch darkness, all that occurred to him was the pain that still seered in his recent wounds. Biting back his fear of the shiz stained darkness that surrounded him, Sal would try to focus on the sounds of water being broke by movement, or the scamper of feet or claw across the rock sewer system.

Listening intently, while hoping Elysian can blind some sillies.

OOC: Sorry, nets been down at my place since weekend. It’s back now.

Sidorio · Post by **Sidorio** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:08 pm

Finding the noble already dead had been shock but the idea of being ambushed by some foul lesser race was despicable. Vash'nir refused the idea of being snuck up on by them, the idea that he had been out stealthed to depressing to think. Damned rat-men, their kind shouldn't even be dwelling beneath our city. Still, he had one advantage on their side, or at least until the mage worked his magics and that was the darkness. Drawing his blades he tried to conceal himself in the darkness he could find before he attacked.

Try hide and counter-attack.

Post by **Kinslayer** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:35 pm

As the group rounded the corner in the wake of the ratmens’ sudden appearance their brazier spilled its illumination further down the tunnel, casting out the darkness and revealing their foe to them. There were indeed around a dozen of the creatures, thirteen to be precise. The ratmen were slightly shorter than a man, making them much shorter than the elves, a characteristic that their stooping posture intensified. The red eyed, long snouted heads of the creatures were just above Druchii waist height, but their lack of size was not necessarily a means to disqualify them as a threat. Each of the thirteen was armed and armoured, if only with moth-eaten leathers and filthy robes, rusty daggers and notched spears.

From behind them came the scratching and scurrying of yet more of the skaven, and Vryala and Elysian turned to face this secondary threat even as the Mage stepped back behind the warriors’ shield. The braziers’ light only extended so far, but already they could see dark shadows as more of the vile ratmen approached. Phalx, Vash’nir, Saldrimek and Karonath were left facing the thirteen ratmen already upon them. Vash’nir did his best to stay in the shadows, but his intention proved futile a moment later as Elysian once more turned his mind to the power of Ulgu. For a moment the deep shadows were cast back further, and the group caught a glimpse of the second group of ratmen, also numbering thirteen and heading their way fast.

The shadows almost instantly fell back in place however, and Elysian almost stumbled forwards in disarray as his arcane senses were washed away in response to his spell. He had not noticed it before, but something dark and powerful was lurking nearby. As he drew upon the wind of Ulgu he revealed himself to this malign entity, and a wave of power dispelled his attempt and then cloaked itself from him. No more could his mind probe the darkness and identify this other mind, for ironically it was as though a wall of impermeable shadow magic now shut his senses off from anything outside the tunnel. Before the Mage had a chance to warn his comrades the skaven were advancing though, and all thoughts once more turned to survival.

The rats approaching from behind, the direction the group had come from the crossroads, were still a few moments away from reaching them, but the thirteen that came from the direction of the dead body of Draco were only a few short paces away now. As they advanced they huddled together, chittering in anticipation and trying their best to stay a few steps away from the edge of the walkway at all times, no doubt in fear of falling into the filth. The strange creatures each also seemed to be reluctant to lead the charge, those in front almost being shoved forwards by the others whilst trying their best to shoulder their way back into the rank behind. Seeing their cowardly disposition yet watching them advance in attack told the group all they needed to know, either these ratmen had their leadership bolstered by the strength of their numbers and more were yet to come, or something altogether more frightening than a death at the hands of the group was giving them their orders.

The first group of ratmen threw themselves perhaps unwillingly into the midst of the group, coming up against Karonath and Saldrimek first, Vash’nir and Phalx holding the flanks in case any of the rats tried to get around their comrades, and purposefully staying behind the swing of the Khainites’ blades on the narrow walkway. Two ratmen with rusty swords and notched shields threw themselves at Saldrimek, one coming in with a few heavy overhead cuts as the other more slyly moved around the side of its friend to stab at his thighs and waist. Karonath found herself nearer the edge of the walkway, two rats approaching her with equal parts aggressive vigour and fearful caution. The first had a large metal shield and a small dagger, but it shielded its comrade who struck over it with the longer reach of its large spear. The other nine skaven rushed in behind them, their numbers pushing the first rats in closer due to the tight space, taking away the room for the group to swing their blades out in wide arcs.

Vash’nir found himself confronted by one of the braver rats who broke through the gap between Sal and K, the loathsome creature glaring up at him as it raised its two iron blades in a mocking gesture of his own. Vash’nir responded to the creature by moving closer, parrying the first two blows the skaven tried to land upon his body. Nearby and closer to the stream of sewage, Phalx put his crossbow aside due to the darkness and press of bodies blocking his line of sight. He drew a sword just in time to be confronted by a skaven warrior with a small club like weapon, seemingly crafted from a huge nail hammered through a short wooden handle. The rat made a few quick attempts at embedding the weapon in Phalxs’ lightly armoured chest, but the Shade moved around the blows with practised agility. Still more skaven pushed in and lashed out with spears and blades though, and even as the mercenaries fought against those nearest to them, other enemies were striking at them from angles they couldn’t see.

For Vryala and Elysian the fighting started a few moments later, the clash of their friends engaging in combat a brief distraction as the second band of sewer rats came running into sight once more. Now that there was already a number of their kind in the fight, these skaven seemed a lot more willing to throw their numbers into the fray and they came straight at the groups’ rearguard without slowing down. A moment later the group found themselves fighting in the corner of the tunnel, surrounded on both fronts by the chaotic creatures, a stone wall to one flank and a short drop into sewage on the other. Vryala was waiting to absorb the charge on her shield, but even she was overwhelmed by the numbers she stood up against. One unlucky skaven threw itself almost intentionally upon her shield and blade, but the force of its comrades slamming into it from behind forced V to plant her feet, her armoured boots scraping on the stones as she was slowly pushed back.

More of the creatures swarmed around Vryalas’ flanks, hacking and stabbing at her with all manner of rusty weapons as they went after softer targets. Elysian and the backs of the Shades were waiting for them just behind the armoured warrior, but they too were not about to be found as easy pickings. Elysian gripped his staff and sword tighter as two rats reached him, one hurling a spear on approach before drawing a small blade, the other holding up a triangular wooden shield and lashing out at him with a barbed whip. A couple of the skaven warriors bypassed even the Mage, heading straight for the backs of the rest of the group despite the efforts of Vryala and Elysian to stand as rearguard. In a moment the group were surrounded and engaged from every angle, fighting back against a tide of furry bodies and disease ridden blades.

Post by **Drainial** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:49 am

Elysian gasped and staggered back as his illumination was dispelled. Having a spell disrupted was never pleasant but it was all the more so for being so unexpected. Clearly there was something in these tunnels other than rat man warriors, something much more potent and malign.

Before he could alert the rest of the group to this fact though the Skaven charged, Vryala did her best to keep them at bay but they were vastly outnumbered and many simply ignored her as they flowed past. The former thief quickly found himself embroiled in the fray once more.

This time however he was not burdened with heavy armour, though of course he would miss the latent protection it provided. Confronted with several rat men he clutched his staff and prepared for the assault. One thing was obvious about the rat mens' attack, they were being driven to it, they were scared going in. That was a boost to the mages confidence as he threw himself into combat seeking to keep the creatures away from the others and Vryala in particular. He knew full well that slaughter was not his forte but given time the others, Karoneth, Saldrimek and Vryala in particular could butcher these rats, if only they could live long enough to do so.

As he went to work he was as always preparing his combat enchantments and waiting for an opportunity for them to do the most good. There was darkness aplenty in these tunnels and although he was more than a little apprehensive about the magician he was almost sure waited somewhere beyond sight Elysian intended to at least try and use them to full advantage.

Elysian will take up a position at Vryala’s back and keep her safe from attacks from behind as best he can while defending himself and trying to crack ratish heads. While doing this he will prepare a blindness spell and wait for an opportunity for it do the most good either for him or for anyone else. His priorities go keeping himself alive - keeping Vryala alive - Keeping everyone else alive, in that order.

Post by **Layne** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:08 am

K had never heard of rat people before, but she didn't need to recall a long forgotten story to take the measure of the situation. They had killed the boy ; they would kill the group, and eat them too, if they succeeded. Also they were fairly timid creatures, they seemed to be jostling each other to be last one in, and so their charge was not terribly quick. K had time to get a measure - rusty steel, rotten cloth and wood, not much armour. K figured there was not much hope of them being quick with their attitude, not much chance their gear could stand up to her either. K figured she could pretty much hack her way through them.

What did worry her a little was that if they were doing this against their will then there was something else behind them they were more afraid of. Of course, they hadn't met Karonath yet, and neither had their master. Here was some creatures she would be more than glad to send below.

Khaela Mensha Khaine!

It was funny, she still had little idea what exactly was the meaning of the words, except that whenever she said so, some folk went down to meet the man. She spun her sword over her head and charged.

K will just let go and give them the full pent up rage she has been steadily controlling all this time. She will aim her strokes at more or less their belly height because she figures she can pretty much cut straight through their weapons, shields, arms and torsos with one swipe.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:51 pm

Vryala braced herself against the veritable tide of stinking, clawing, disease-ridden fur that washed over her and the Mage at her side. These creatures seemed small and cowardly individually, but fearless and strong as a group; V realized their numbers called for some serious thinning down. Behind her, over the din of vile chittering, Karonath's battle cry could be heard - a sure sign that sh*t had officially hit the fan. Alllllrighty then.

Vryala summons all the celerity her training and blade provide, wading through the mob. Adapting to the foe, she focuses on broad, waist-height sweeps and overhead, downward thrusts. Also, considering the press of foes, the odd shield bash should be able to push some of them over the edge and into the sh*t.

Post by **Kinslayer** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:04 pm

OOC - He who does not post in this scene shall be dragged into the filth! You have been warned

IC -

The skaven outnumbered the group four to one, but fortunately the narrow walkway on which they fought prevented the ratmen from putting their numbers to full effect, even if they did have the group surrounded. As the skaven engaged the front of the group, Karonath shouted out the name of Khaine, his murderous power fuelling her as she attacked. She hacked away at the rats before her, Bloodfeather slicing through rotting shields and dirty rags with every stroke, killing the two skaven that attacked her before leaping forwards to get within reach of even more. Beside her Saldrimek swung his axe around, keeping the suprisingly agile ratmen at bay while he decided the best way to deal with so many. Phalx and Vash'nir continued to hold the flanks, their blades working defensively to keep the skaven from overwhelming them. At one point a ratman was pushed over the edge of the walkway as he tried to get around Vash'nirs flank, flailing around in the filth for a few moments before being lost beneath the surface.

At the rear of the group, Vryala and Elysian continued to hold off against the rest of the attackers. Elysian used his staff as a club when the first of the ratmen reached him, caving in its skull and running it through on his blade for good measure. As the skaven died however two more came forth to take its place, and the Mage found himself using his blade defensively a moment later, waiting for the oppertune moment to try his magic once again. Vryala stood before him, using her sword to gut the skaven that came within reach. The warrior waded into the mob of filthy ratmen, her shield knocking some back towards the river of filth as her blade ensured any that foolishly tried to come around her flanks were spitted like pigs on the end of her enchanted sword. Yet still there was too many of them, and the ratmen began to gain the advantage of slowing the group down simply by being too numerous to stop.

It was then that Elysian cast his spell, calling the shadows out of the darkness and covering his opponents' eyes with them instead. The spell worked for a moment, and the ratmen stopped swinging their blades and stumbled about in temporary confusion. Seizing their oppertunity, those members of the group nearest to the sewage threw those they could down into the filth. Vryala shield bashed a pair of skaven off the walkway, and nearby Karonath embedded her Draich in one skaven before swinging it around, throwing it off her sword into another of its kind, sending both down into the vile river. Vash'nir slit a skavens throat, hurling the body from the walkway as he broke its neck with his free hand. Phalx took a moment to draw Deathspitter, and a crossbow bolt punched into the brow of one of the rats, sending it sprawling at the edge of the walkway. Saldrimek was there, and he kicked the verminous creature off the edge even as he embedded his axe in the face of another.

And then the spell ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Elysian once more felt the power of the spell drained away by some dispelling force that lurked nearby. It shut itself off from him, making it impossible for his mind to locate or identify, even as by doing so he was alerting this entity to his own location and abilities. Before he could give the other Mage too much information, Elysian shut his mind off from the winds of magic once more, just as the ratmen resumed their savage attack. More than a dozen of the creatures still remained, and they redoubled their efforts of attack, suddenly switching tactics and going for those least armoured members of the group in a bid to at least bring one of them down. Phalx, Vash'nir and Elysian suddenly found themselves bombarded by attacks, rusty blades and spear tips coming at them from every angle they could see.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 9:34 pm

OOC: DO NOT WANT

IC:

Laughing sadistically as she cut a swathe through the mob, Vryala was pleasantly surprised to find herself and the arcanist working in devastating tandem. Agile blighters they faced, but not fast enough to dodge her blade, nor sturdy enough to resist her shield. The disruption caused by her hooded companion seemed to increase her efficiency twofold, allowing her to butcher her foes with abandon and drive them towards a thoroughly filthy death.

Yet, amazingly, the assault did not relent. Still the vile creatures swarmed around, now actively trying to spike down the less resilient members of the group. V allowed herself a brief smile; 'twas a rare instance indeed when she could allow, nay, force herself to push as hard as the Khainites did. In Your honour!

V goes berserk, hacking and smashing indiscriminately, hopefully creating some room for the squishies and painting the tunnel walls with rat blood.

Khel · Post by **Khel** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:08 am

Throwing themselves through the whirling chaos of blades, the Skaven’s efforts were to be commended, if they weren’t downright insane. However, insanity or not, it seemed to be working in their favour, a fighter who seemingly had nothing to lose as dangerous as any deadly warrior they’d fought. Keeping the area around himself clear enough to breath properly, Sal had been studying the Skaven’s attacks intently. Random and hectic, nothing to be surprised by. Deciding to initiate the attack, Sal stepped forward cautiously, wary of the slime which they all fought on top of.

Horizontal arcs, hoping to swat these annoying rats away. If any pass under or manage to get through the attack, Sal will go for a knee to the face, knocking these rats back into the suspicious brown stuff.

OOC: Oh god, my character has open wounds.

If I fall in I’m done for.

Post by **Layne** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:07 am

She swung through the third victim and watched as its body sailed off into the murk, and the fell down into the muck. She saw the arms flail about, and saw the thing disappear down under. There were still rather more of the things, and now they were getting their blood up, she saw, and trying to attack the Shades.

If that wasn't the cheek, using her own tactics against her. But she knew now how to win and win quick.

K will use her armour once again to try and rush the vermin and push them into the muck.

Post by **Drainial** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:43 pm

Once again his spell had been a success and working alongside the more homicidal members of the group he had helped nearly halve the rats' numbers in a matter of moments. As his spell was shut down however he realised that whatever was out there was almost certainly a good bit more puissant than him and that he was feeding it information with every enchantment.

In the more immediate term he had other problems, the Skaven had quite rightly deduced that going after Vryala and the Khainites was a bad idea. There was still a veritable sea of fur to contend with, keeping their rusty blades from his flesh would have to be his priority for now.

Elysian will go on the defensive and as far as possible keep his back to Vryala so that the Skaven can't get behind him.

Post by **Kinslayer** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:36 pm

The ratmen surged forwards, aiming their attacks at the Shades and Mage rather than trying their luck any longer against the more heavily armed and armoured members of the group. Fortunately the others were still there to help, and as the skaven attacked Karonath, Saldrimek and Vryala waded back into their midst, hacking and slashing each in a blind fury of his or her own. Karonath rushed into the nearest band of verminous creatures, her armoured bulk doing a good job of sending them closer to the edge, her magical Draich ensuring only a moment went by before they were cast bloodied and broken into the filth. One rat was fortunate enough to score a hit with its rusty dagger before it died, but the blade wedged itself in the Khainites' armour plates without breaking through. The skaven died for it's wasted effort, sent into the filth as a headless corpse.

Saldrimek swept his executioners axe about him in a wide repeating arc, keeping the skaven at a safe distance and here and there embedding his weapon in a wooden shield or, better yet, the soft flesh of the vermin themselves. At one point a bold ratman leapt in under his swipe, but he brought his knee crashing up into the creatures jaw a moment before it tried to gut him, stunning it and knocking it back. His axe came down with a vicious snarl on his lips a moment later and split the skaven warrior clean in two, much to the dismay of its comrades. On the other side of the fight, Vryala too went into a bersek almost Khainite like rage, walking amidst the skaven with a mad cackling laugh, hacking through arms, weapon shafts, shields and tails alike. Only when no more skaven stood before her did she stop and look around, breathing hard, her face and helm painted red with the blood of her enemies.

Only a handful of the ratmen remained, and Elysian quickly dealt with the only one left attacking him. The rat had tried to get behind Vryala but the Mage had intercepted its move, and now he batted away its wild attacks with the edge of his staff. His blade worked in unison with his defensive weapon, lashing out repeatedly to open up one small cut after another. The killing blow finally came when the rat, noticing the demise of most of its kin, made the mistake of closing in and attacking too hastily. Elysian knocked the ratmans blade skyward with his staff and ran the beast through its exposed stomach, pushing it from his blade a moment later. The last few skaven were gathered around the Shades, and as the rest of the group turned to watch those ratmen seemed to lose their nerve, their morale broken by the massacre of their kin.

There were four rats left, and two turned tail and fled just as the other two threw themselves each at Phalx and Vash'nir in a mad, chittering rage. The Shades' were suddenly met by a flurry of unexpectedly wild attacks, the rats fighting in a blind panic now that they were surrounded and outnumbered themselves. A strange musky smell filled the air as the rats gave in to their fear, but it was almost immediately lost beneath the overpowering stench of the sewage. A moment later Phalx and Vash'nir were defending themselves side by side on the edge of the walkway, the frenzied skaven warriors all but throwing themselves into them in a last ditch effort to bring the elves down alongside them. Cursing aloud, Phalx and Vash'nir were knocked over the edge of the walkway by the two skaven warriors, each of whom was impaled from behind by Vryala and Elysian a moment later.

The last two skaven did not attack in their panic but instead tried to flee, one darting between Karonath and Saldrimek as the other bypassed Sal on the inside of the wall. The first was cut to ribbons, simultaneously struck by Karonaths' Draich and Saldrimeks' axe. The second however slipped by, dissapearing into the darkness as quickly as its legs could carry it, a squeal of utter terror echoing down the corridor long after it had dissapeared from sight. Now that they were unengaged, the Khainites' joined Elysian and Vryala at the edge of the walkway, looking down on the Shades who clung to the edge of the stone path as tightly as though a hundred foot drop awaited them. In reality, their boots and shins were already covered in the muck from the river of sewage, and no part of them wished to sink in any further than they had already.

Pulling their comrades back onto the walkway, the group paused to decide on the best course of action. If they wanted to leave the sewers, they first had to find a way out.

Post by **Drainial** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:47 am

So much for this lot then, Elysian thought as the last of their attackers fled screaming into the dark. Unfortunately he knew, or at least thought it likely, that there was something far worse still lurking out there somewhere.

After the shades had been fished out of the mire Elysian decided that now was a good time to tell the others what little he knew.
"There is something else out there, probably the thing which prompted those Skaven to attack. My enchantments have been disrupted since we got here by something which knows shadow magic very well. Well enough to hide its trail in fact. Maybe it will leave us be now, maybe it will attack again and those creatures were only cannon fodder but there is something out there."
As he finished speaking Elysian wished he had something further to say, some advice to give but in truth this was far from his area of expertise. Maybe one of the others would have a decent idea of what to do.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 3:51 pm

The sight of both Shades holding on for dear life and cleanliness caused Vryala great mirth. Dragging her indignified friends back onto the walkway, she took a moment to reflect on the battle and thank the Lord of Murder, before hearing out Elysian. He spoke of another presence, one of the arcane kind, and V doubted the group would make their escape without at least one more confrontation. Those Skaven may be bipeds, but still beasts at the core. And beasts tend to defend their territory with all their might...

Not one to particularly care for scouting duties, V was perfectly happy to let the shadier members of the group continue to prove their worth in this predicament. But let's not forget what we came for in the first place...

Vryala severs the head of young Draco and ties it to her belt.

Post by **Kinslayer** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:50 pm

Not about to forget the reason behind their little trip to the sewers, Vryala crouched down beside the fallen body of Draco long enough to sever his head. The dead merchants' face still a mask of horror, she used his hair to tie the head to her belt. Their trophy secured, and their job technically accomplished, the group began discussing the best way out. Elysian had warned them of some arcane entity that lurked nearby, but despite that they quickly decided not to head back towards the crossroads. It was entirely likely that Lord Faulin and his men were in the sewer tunnels by now, and to risk going back and walking into them was to risk too much. There were no doubt other exit points leading back to the surface, it was just a matter of finding one.

Cautiously, the group continued along the walkway in the same direction the last of the skaven had fled. For a few minutes they just walked through the darkness, their single brazier only casting enough light to see twenty or so paces ahead. The stone walkway and the damp tunnel walls all looked the same, and the only thing that seemed to change was the colour of the murky stream to their right, sometimes black or brown and sometimes a sickly green. Eventually they came to another junction in the tunnel, though rather than a crossroad this one simply gave them the option of either turning left or turning right. Not wanting to waste any time discussing what would only be a guess anyway, they took the path to the left and continued their monotonous advance.

Not long after turning into the tunnel however, the group could hear echoes drifting down the passage from somewhere in the distance. At first the sounds were unidentifiable, but the closer they got the more it sounded like the clash of blades. Curiosity gripping their minds, they stalked closer until they suddenly came to a part of the tunnel that was not as it should be. Here part of the ceiling had caved in, or perhaps been knocked down for some specific reason. The fallen stones pooled into the filthy stream and spread across the walkway, and although the way ahead was blocked there seemed to be a passage above, accessible by scrambling up the stones of the fallen roof. Not only that, but where the stones had fallen into the sewage they had created a dangerous bridge across its six foot width, and at the far end the wall had been excavated into a new passage that led down into the darkness of the earth.

The passage was narrow and not very tall, and its roughly hewn edges and constantly changing shape proved that it had not been cut by any elf. If a dwarf slave had ever escaped, he would have done a much better job as well. No, this tunnel had been hacked through the stone and earth by a much more careless and artless creature or creatures, and the group knew that they had already met them. The clashing sounds were coming from somewhere beyond that passage, and every now and then the ringing of blades was accompanied by shrill squeals and the growling of something all together a lot more intimidating. Whatever it was, it was close. They were looking for a route back to the surface, and that no doubt meant heading up rather than down, but if something was going on beneath the very feet of Vikarh then the group felt compelled to investigate.

Pausing once more, the mercenaries stopped to consider their options.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:03 am

The noble's head dangling from her waist, V cautiously made her way across the rocky bridge with the others. The sound of battle drew her like a moth to a flame, even under current circumstances, and she felt compelled to at least check it out. Skaven, okay, but to think something else able to wield a blade could live down here!

V goes for a quick peek. Look ma, I'm a scout!

Dauricha · Post by **Dauricha** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:31 pm

OOC: hey. I have sneaked onto a mates iPad so I can post. Sorry about my disappearing but my laptop should be fixed and back by the 13th. Sorry once again I have read up and so here we go...

IC: The battle with the stinking ragmen had been quick and savage,and though the beasts had showed their cowardice in the end the fight had not been easy. Here they were now in the depths of the sewers and beyond. The place stunk s was to be expected, and Phalx felt filthy just moving through it. He pressedon with the others hoping he was ready for whatever they would find.

Phalx wil move ahead with V and scout using his Shady skills.

Post by **Drainial** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:09 pm

Pausing at the cave in Elysian was torn between curiosity and a desire to get away from the appalling stink of the sewers, not to mention the allure of relatively safe city streets. Before he could come to any decision Vryala began her decent towards the conflict bellow promptly followed by Phalx. He had not been with this particular gang for long but already thought that they were perhaps a little too cocky for safeties sake, not that that was necessarily a bad thing. Following their example and a little concerned about the less than subtle Vryala clanking along ahead the mage hurried to catch up.

Once more unto the breach and all that. Down we go.

Post by **Kinslayer** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 12:28 am

It wasn't long before the group were following Vryalas' lead into the darkness of the roughly hewn tunnel leading off the stone sewer trail. It burrowed into the earth at irregular angles for many minutes, and ever as they walked the sounds of clashing from up ahead drew closer and louder. Before long they realised that the sounds they were hearing lacked the metallic ring of blade on blade, and was in fact the sound of metal hitting stone. A moment later the group emerged from the low tunnel into a vast underground chamber, finding themselves on a small ledge formed from the damp earth of the surrounding walls. The ledge sloped down to the pit below at a steady angle, but a sheer drop awaited them a few feet to their left.

Pausing in the shadows on this ledge, the group looked down in shock as the source of the commotion was finally revealed to them. Dozens of the ratmen laboured in the hollowed out chamber, turning what had once been solid earth into a deep pit broken only by the stone support structures that kept the sewage tunnels in place. Skaven lifted picks and chipped away at stone, or shovelled dirt over their shoulders to the crack of numerous whips. Amongst the rats the group spied a hulking monster, seemingly as ratlike as its kin but easily twice the height of a Druchii, and three times as wide. This ogre of a rat was muzzled and chained to one of the stone supports, a low growl reverberating under its breath as it stood idle and waited for command, watching over the skaven like the pack of rats that they were.

Aside from the rat ogre, three things immediately caught the groups attention. The first was the huge chunk of glowing green rock that most of the skaven seemed to be excavating. The second was the grey furred skaven who watched over them, barking his orders as he leaned on a crooked wooden staff topped with a rusty iron triangle, a pair of long dark horns protruding from beneath his hood. Clearly this was a ratman of arcane power, and Elysian instantly recognised it as the entity that he had sensed earlier, and that had sensed him in return. Realising this, he resisted his minds natural urge to seep into the winds of magic, knowing that to do so would probably reveal their position to the skaven seer. Instead he shut himself off, turning to the rest of the group for ideas on how to proceed.

The third thing that caught their attention was the one skaven warrior who half ran and half limped across the pit in the direction of the seer. The one who had escaped their clutches only minutes ago.

Raneth · Post by **Raneth** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 4:37 pm

Vryala cocked her head in wonder. Rat wizard? Giant mutant? Glowing green rock? This can't be good. It was only an eyeblink later that she noticed the lone survivor of their earlier scuffle, intent on warning the spellslinging rodent leader. Realising that, if the group tarried, they'd be caught dead between the rat army and Lord Faulin's posse, V suggested in a soft voice that retreat might be a prudent choice.

Back out the tunnel, to the surface with all haste!

Sidorio · Post by **Sidorio** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 5:37 pm

OOC - sorry for not posting... but I did say I was going to be away for Sonisphere

anyway I'm back now. Will work on a post now.

IC - Things seemed to be going from bad to worse in the tunnels below the city. First their quarry got killed by another, then they;d been ambushed by the lowest of the low in the scale of evolution and now it seemed they'd encountered a spellcaster of all things. Just our damned luck. We get assigned a simple task and end up in something much bigger. I swear Khaine has it in for us. Sighing he scraped some of the muck out of his hair keeping his gaze on the ratmen for any sign of further trouble.

That limping rat needs to be dealt with discreatly if we want a safe chance of getting out of here. Last thing we need is more of those things and a spell caster chasing us to stop word spreading.

Khel · Post by **Khel** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:09 pm

Watching the rats below, Sal wondered why they simply couldn't sneak past and leave these rats alone. Khaine knows why they were still down here, the stinking mess which they waded through having lost its gagging effect a long time ago. Watching and waiting, Sal agreed to go with what the others thought best to do.