Episode 2: Welcome to the Jungle!

Being nearest the well, Baracus is most affected by the vapors billowing from it. You all know you need to move or it will only get worse.

What now? Up one of the stairs? Push onward east? Or turn back?

Peering down into the well, Baracus sees that it is filled with some unknown liquid that smells like a mixture of vomit, rotten meat, and a badly festered wound.

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The east passage opens up into a columned hall about 30ft wide. As you cross the threshold you come upon the dead body of a rat cultist. Half a body, actually, as everything below the tattered flesh below the man's navel appears to have been chewed off. You recognize this cultist as one of Sardo Numspa's lackeys, the one with the mismatched eyes. Those eyes now stare lifelessly out of the man's agonized face.

On a dais at the far end, 50ft away, stands a large, ring-shaped structure. Glowing runes etches into its metal surface are the source of both the bluish light you have been seeing, as well as the thrumming you have been hearing. Inside the ring is a swirl of dark clouds punctuated by flashes of what could be lightning. Erden and Ybus can both tell this thing is a portal of some sort. Lining this chamber's walls and littered about its floor are more of the huge jars. Sparks dance up their metal spikes and race through the network of floor inlays towards the portal, as if it's drawing some sort of energy from whatever is in the jars.

That question of what the jars contain is answered when you hear a loud crash to your left. Stepping out of the shadow of a column is a creature of nightmare. A cloud of flies buzzes about the diseased flesh hanging in uneven lumps from its body, which resembles a bear, or a great ape. For a head, it has the skull of an immense rodent. This matches Sashvar's description of Aplu, the Avrunan rat god of pestilence. It has just toppled one of the jars and begun feeding on the unconscious rat cultist that has spilled from it. The woman regains consciousness just in time to scream before the monster rips her to bloody shreds.

The creature has either not noticed you yet, or doesn't care. What do you do?

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Erden's first fire beam sizzles Apul's diseased flesh, but the monstrous deity seems to just shake it off. The last two beams, as well as Ybus' crackling bolt, miss the rat god but smash against the fuel jars, dumping several slumbering cultists unceremoniously onto the floor. The portal flickers as it begins to lose power. What dark power could have suborned this cult and modified this temple to suit their own purpose?

The Rat God tosses aside the half-devoured cultist, throws back its skeletal head, and roars just as Baracus buries the First Sword in its back. In response to their lord, the diseased rats swarm towards the adventurers.

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Erden's arcane owls lance into the rat god's diseased flash. Apul's eyes, malevolent red orbs in the dark sockets of its skeletal face, gaze upon you with pure hatred. It roars once more before savagely raking its claws across Baracus' chest (18 slashing damage before DR). The monster tries to bite the half-orc's head off, but Urban slams into its flank with the Captain's Shield with such force it is thrown violently to the ground, towards the foot of the dais.