A9

While the rest of the party (Jack and Nemo) gardened for the Druid Kessa, Ignatius snuck out to do some shopping and to identify his magic items. The wand he picked up in the desert tower (Treachery and Traps) was an enhanced wand of shadow spray crafted with shadow magic. He also discovered he had a potion of fly. Avan in the mean time was still tied up and in the hideout of the Blades, the local thieves guild, plotting his escape.
     As noon approached the party gathered in the Elven Grove and gardened or waited. Then a well-dressed man approached them, introducing himself as Rodrick. He told them he wanted the book (manual of the iron golem) and that he was willing to pay a great deal for it. Also he could get their friend released and let them all get out of the city safely. After failing to get the book, he urged the party to not return the book to the Church of Nyssa and that he can be reached at the Guild�s headquarters (the Guild is the local government).
     As the party�s noon meeting with the Church of Nyssa approached, Ignatius sent a messenger to the Church telling them that something came up and that they would meet them at the meeting place at dusk (coincidently their meeting time with the Blades). Their plan was to leave the city two hours before dusk and use the bracelet of friendship to free Avan.
     Three hours before dusk, Rodrick returned. He tried to convince them of his good intensions and that book would be used against the Dark Master who ruled the trade nations of Tethyr and Rauthymar. He also reminded them about Avan and the cult of Erythnul that was hunting them. In the end the decision was Ignatius�s and he had to say no.
     The party rode to the dock in a carriage having given their cart and horses to Magnate Morgan Gaille. As they approached the ship, the sole survivor of their previous encounter with the cult appeared, a sorceress in the process of casting wall of fire. Surrounded by a wall of fire, the party fled to the center of the area, close to a building to avoid the flames. Ignatius downed his potion of flying and check what was behind the wall of fire.
     Then suddenly six warriors jumped off the building onto the party just as the building next to them exploded. As the fight progressed, Jack collapsed from his wounds (having been hit by the building and by a hidden sorcerer�s magic missiles) forcing Avan (summoned by Nemo) to out of the carriage. Meanwhile Nemo defended the book and his life.
     Ignatius snuck up on the sorceress but his attempt to unhand her off her scroll failed and he was affected by hold person. Meanwhile in the flames, the cultists killed the horses and they swarmed the carriage.   Finally though the sorcerer who was shooting down at them was set ablaze by Jack, the cultists were barely kept from killing Nemo, and the sorceress escaped into the water.
     While the Black knights of the Dark Master were occupied, the party boarded the ship, River Skau, and headed to the port city of Locklan. The ship like most elven craft seemed built of one piece of wood.
     A few days later the party reached Locklan. A sprawling city centered on a large natural bay, Locklan is a city of statues. Bronze and marble statues adorn most intersections, as does the preaching of devotees of Pelor. The houses are old and constructed of masonry, rising only one to three stories. Several broad churches rise a bit above the rest of town, but the highest structure is a large mansion on a low hill.
     At the harbor the party saw many new ships. In addition to the many simple fishing and sailing craft, there were the long ships of Rauthymar and Dalmara, the elven ships that seem sculpted from a single pieces of wood, and a large iron clad battleship flying a green flag with a gold hawk, the flag of Ivalice, anchored off shore. Several sleek dark ships slowly circle in the harbor.
     The party first headed the Seaside Preserve, the local elven community, and met with Xanaphia Gaille, the sister of Magnate Morgan who had arranged for their passage. After exchanging pleasantries, the party headed o the Handmaiden�s Stone, a high-class inn. Over the next couple of days the party went about their various businesses.
     Ignatius spent time trying to find out all he could about his family, the powerful nobles of House Nainodel. Avan in the meantime went to the local church of technology and took the tests necessary to move up in the hierarchy. His skill amazed the local clergy and he rose to the rank of Master Engineer.      It was then that he began to consider the need for an adult elven name. After some conversation with another elf in the clergy, he realized the elves would never give him this and so he began to pray for a name from his goddess. After several days the goddess bequeathed the name Dominic to him.
     Jack wandered the town during this time finding out all he could about everything. He learned about the local cult devoted to the heroes of yore, including Lothar Noctus, the Dark Master and that the church of Pelor was stepping up its proselytizing campaign, importing priests from Ivalice. He also learned that people have been disappearing from the streets in the bad side of town. He and Ignatius also looked at some rapiers and met the leader of the Ivalian soldiers in the area, the Marquis De Sorn. A young attractive man, he was quite knowledgeable about rapiers and was delighted to meet an elven noble (Ignatius).
     Trouble by the rumors, Jack investigated the area where people had vanished. He quickly realized that the victims had all been on one of three different streets at night alone. The area was deserted at that time and each street had sewer grates. Realizing that another grab would be soon, Jack decided to wait on the street at night and pretended to be a victim (he of course made sure that Ignatius and Dominic were watching from a safe distance).
     Soon enough a large dire rat crept out of the sewers and attacked. After shooting half a dozen arrows into the beast, they finally killed it with magic and watched as the corpse reverted to human form. After discussing getting the officials, they entered the sewers bringing the evidence with them.
As they made their way down the sewers they ran into both normal dire rats and wererats. The wererats had set up alert bells and trained the rats to ring them. While the party was at first able to avoid detection, eventually the wererats alerted the others and they swarmed. Unfortunately for the rats, the party was already well equipped with silver arrows and slaughtered them.
     Pushing forward, the party notice too late the trap set by the wererats. The water they were trudging through was covered in oil and a horde of dire rats blocked their escape. They rushed for the forward exit out of the scorching flames. The rats behind them were left stuck in a web, struggling to free themselves before the flaming oil reached them. The escape was of course guarded but with some work the party fought their way into the final room.
     The stench of carrion was thick in the large room. A huge trap door was set in the floor, behind the dire rats and their masters. At the back of the room a wererat stood with a human skull floating around her head. With an overuse of alchemist fire, the party defeated the rats and detonated the oil filled barrel nearby. As the heroes entered the room, the leader pulled a secret lever and the big trap doors swung open, releasing a giant slug. Quickly fleeing this monstrosity, the party engaged in a running battle through the sewers dodging its crushing bite and deadly acidic spit. They slowed it with webs and peppered it with arrows until it finally stopped moving. Creeping up to it through the now acidic sewer water, they had to find an alternate way to get back to the lair. Of course by this time, the wererat leader had fled. They scooped up the numerous coins and retired for the night.

The Box (Part II) & Wererats