Rats Under The Murky Ale Tavern

The boys painted their own minis & the 4yr old did the spider.

After an afternoon of target practice, Alexander, Green and James headed inside the academy to the mess hall for lunch. Before they could make it that far they were called into the Guard Captain's office.

Captain Jack informed the cadets that Maise, the owner of Murky Ale Tavern, has been complaining of giant rats. She said they were as big as her little dog. The Captain figured she was exaggerating, and asked the cadets to take a look, with the instructions that if there were rats, get rid of them.

As hungry as the boys were, they headed over to the tavern. Maise was beside herself, and grateful the boys were there. Willie the bartender had been bit. The bite mark was just below his knee. The cadets knew that couldn't come from an ordinary sized rat.

They headed down to the basement and immediately smelled the fowl stench of rat droppings. As they rounded the corner of the stacked barrels, they saw a giant rat, chewing on something. Alexander used his sword and cut it, Green shot an arrow, James threw a fireball - missing and catching a barrel on fire. eventually they got the rat only to be faced with a second one.

After dispensing of the rats they made there way to the second room of the basement where Alexander heard a cry from a child. It sounded like it came from below the basement. Heading to the back of the room they find two more rats. Fighting in close quarters, Alexander gets bitten. It's nothing too serious and the cadets finish off the rats. Grabing a healing potion on the way, they head down the hole in the floor boards towards the cries of the child.

Once down below, their only light is blue fungi along the rock and dirt walls. Suddenly a rat comes out of a hole in the wall and attacks! While Alexander and James fight the rat, Green investigates the hole. He sees a rat and tries to stab it with his dagger. The other two kill their rat and Alexander explores further down the tunnel, finding another hole. Meanwhile, James burns the rat in the hole that Green found to a crisp. Alexander sets a trap of small caltrops and cheese at the third hole. Sure enough the cheese is enough to get a rats attention and the boys kill it.

They split up after that. Alexander continues down the eastern tunnel, while Green and James make their way west. Alexander finds a cavern with stalagmites and a small pool of water. He spots something sparkling in the water he believes is gold and goes in to get it. He is attacked by a giant Spiny Rockfish that had camouflaged itself in the rocks. Although bitten he manages to get an attack with his dagger, and the fish quickly retreats. Fully camouflaged, Alexander could no longer find the fish so he turned his attention to what was indeed 5 gold pieces. He then searched the cavern and although not finding the child he did find an arrow that he thought might be magical.

Meanwhile in the western tunnel, Green and James come upon a 4 foot ledge where they fight two more giant rats. Both cadets get their ankles bit, but prevail in the end. Jumping down the other side they enter the rats den. By this time Alexander has joined them and they fight several giant rats, plus the rat king, which Alexander kills. Green discovers one more rat in a hole and sets a small caltrops and cheese trap. This time the rat bites down on the cheese and gets a caltrop piercing the roof of its mouth. Green quickly kills it.

They discover the child, a young boy, hiding in another hole.

With the boy safe and sound they search the cavern. James finds 3 gold, Green finds 4 gold and Alexander finds a dagger. After asking Green what kind of arrow he had found, Alexander winds up selling the Arrow of Accuracy to Green who is the archer in the group.

They head back up to the tavern, tired and starving, to find a feast laid out for them as a thank you from Maise. After they eat Alexander sells the dagger he found to Willie the bartender. Then Green, realizing he spent all of his gold, washes glasses for Willie for a gold piece.

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This story was taken from "Hero Kids Adventures" and adapted for Fantasy AGE. Although I kept the village name Rivenshore, everything else about the world has been changed.