1.1 - In Search of Sanity - Prison of the Mind

Grim's crossbow bolt sails over the creatures and plinks off the wall somewhere in the back of the room just as Axon causes a magical mote of light to burst around them. The two large rats seem to reel back from the light and their footing seems off, while the tentacle-faced rodent-thing seems unaffected. Both rats move their mouths to shriek at the sudden light, but only one of them makes a sound.

The two large rats move forward to bite at Elias, but both of them fail to make contact with the man's skin as he brushes them aside with a parry. The other creature paces in the back, as if contemplating whether it was wise to enter this fight any further.

Razhel had moved to the doorway to guard against anything escaping into the hallway and possibly going south to the barricade, she seeing Grim on her heels and steps right through the open doorway, so as not to obstruct they egress of her companions. She holds her blade at the ready in full defense, unless the critters attempt to come into the hallway and will then attack them.

He had stayed put, sure that Hat was the better option to take a closer look, and now the rat-things weren't just in the walls.

ጥቁር ሜትሮይትስ he chanted to bring down a stream of cold starlets onto the star-nosed rat-thing! Once that was done, he retreated from the room but kept the rats in his sights.

Elias draws his sword and moves up to the closest creature. Once in position, he attacks the rat-like creature.

Iosef takes a shot with his crossbow and backs into the hallway, retreating past Razhel and Grim. It clatters away amongst the pipes, failing to hit the creature he was aiming at.

Razhel holds back in the hallway, securing an exit and defending against any attacker that wishes to pursue those leaving the room.

As the rats attempt to pursue those in the hallway, Elias steps forward to meet them directly. He swings but his sword is unable to find purchase.

Grim's crossbow bolt again sails into the distance past the creatures.

Axon uses his magic to call down icy meteorites from nowhere, appearing miraculously from the very air of the room and hurling as missiles towards the bizarre creature in the back. They pummel into it, beating against its skin like stones striking a wet mattress. It screeches in pain.

The rats bear down on Elias while the creature in the back circuits its way north of the room towards the doorway. It seems to have noted the source of the icy hail that struck it moments ago and is keen to pay Axon back.

Elias is able to turn both the rats' attacks against him away with the use of his sword, just barely managing to avoid the second creature's bite with surprising grace.

Iosef loads and releases another crossbow bolt at the tiny creature now chasing them into the hallway. "It's a zoog!" he says pointedly, "That creature there is not of this world - vicious and smarter than it looks, be wary!" The crossbow bolt, yet again, goes wide and fails to connect.

"Oh no you don't!" Razhel growls and thrusts her rapier at the zoog. She strikes it again, stabbing the eerie little bastard twice.

ጥቁር ሜትሮይትስ

Once more meteors materialized over his target, he none too heroically moved behind Hat and Glasses.

Razhel taunts the horrid little creature and thrusts her rapier into it. It shrieks in pain and looks like it might attempt to flee. "Fitay zvartha!" it cries out as Razhel swiftly stabs at it a second time, the point of her thrusting blade piercing its skull and ending its life in an instant.

Seeing this creature fall, Axon calls forth his magic once more, raining meteorites of freezing rock onto one of the rats engaged with Elias. The creature, through a mix of reflexes and sheer luck, manages to escape even the tiniest of fragments, living at least a little longer this day.

Elias renews his attack on the rat-like creature.

Elias's longsword flashes through the air, slicing the rat in twain. The lone remaining, giant rodent stands before the knight, now dangerously outnumbered.

Grim sees the last rat scurrying and fires his crossbow, hoping to pin the varmit to the floor.

Grim's crossbow bolt sinks into the flank of the remaining rat. It screeches in pain and turns to flee in fear of the defenders.

As it attempts to get away, Iosef fires off another crossbow bolt towards it, this one also lodging itself deep into the rat's hide and bringing it motionless to the ground. "I...I got one!" Iosef announces with some amount of glee, "I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, in spite of my talents seeming to lie elsewhere." He steps closer to the rat's body and nudges it with his boot, confirming the kill.

Upon looking more closely, and with the rodents now gone, Elias sees a mess of torn cloth, wire, and other debris back near the pipes. Though not easily accessible, you're able to find within it two unused sunrods and a small vial with the word 'antiplague' scrawled neatly upon the label.