An Abundance of Rats Part 1 | Episode 2 | U1 - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

U1 - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Episode 2 - Dealing with the Rats

This episode introduced a new character, a half-elf mage/thief named Talia. She came seeking the same level of fame that the rest of the party, Parker the Dwarven warrior, River the half-elf bard & Nirick, the gnomish illusionist/thief had initially come here for as well.

It was a fairly comical session. First, Parker took bets that he could eat rats. Talia is a gaming expert, so she worked as a bookie, and two patrons of Mick's Tavern played along. Parker did extraordinarily well, catching, killing and eating 6 raw rats, which was more than either of the gamblers thought, so they kept the cash. Parker, though, failed his constitution checks, and became very, very ill, with sores popping up on his skin, a fever, and some double vision.

Herbalism for the Win!

Both Nirick and Talia happen to be accomplished herbalists. Nirick is actually a specialist in the field. Together, they fixed up a small treatment for Parker's illness, and fabricated a rat poison that proved to be very effective. Still working on their job to solve the abundance of rats in the city. They started by capturing and killing, as well as poisoning as many rats as they could manage. It was fairly effective, and both Mack, the purveyor of Mick's tavern, and Greibus, the town council member and merchant of dry goods who owned the building next door, were fairly happy with the results.

However, the issue was not completely solved. After employing Parker's stonemason skills, they patched up the crack in Greibus' foundation that allowed the rats to enter the basement. Then, though, some standing water started to pool between the cobblestones. River had the idea to check a local well, and indeed, the water levels were very high.

Bartleby, the Leader of the Town Council

Talia and Nirick conversed with Greibus about where they might be able to find a map of the sewer system. He informed them that the wealthiest of the town's merchants, Bartleby, lived up north of the city proper, up on a hill among his vineyards. He had, in the four or five years since he moved into Saltmarsh, bought up several repositories of scrolls, books & maps of the area, building himself a veritable library of local history. It is rare that he entertains guests, though, and his status as a wizard leaves him as one that not many of the townspeople trust.

Talia looked in her spellbook, and prepared herself with the spell "friends," increasing her charisma dramatically. Then, they approached the wrought iron gates of Bartleby's country villa. They smooth-talked their way into an audience, and then charmed the hell out of Bartleby (as he critically failed his charisma contest rolls).

In return for copying some maps, Bartleby asked that the pair help copy other damaged things in his library, as the young man who was assisting him was fairly worthless at this. They agreed, and got to work, eventually gaining the map they sought, as well as a detailed map of the city and the shipping lanes surrounding it to the south. Furthermore, Talia's work was valued so highly, that Bartleby asked her to come back and assist more often, which also happens again next week.

The Saltmarsh Sewer System

Armed with this map, the group decides to go investigate the output drains throughout the city, and sure enough, some of them appear to be clogged, while others are bursting at the seams to let out the excess water in the sewers. River and Parker bash open a sewer grate, and find inside a plug, of sorts, made of deep-water seaweed, and very carefully woven into place to block the sewer system, intentionally raising the water level. Talia used grease and some inventive use of fire to bust the plug loose, and the man-sized construction eventually fell apart and floated out to sea.

Success! I Guess?

This is one of those fun episodes for a DM, where what you intended to happen comes nowhere close to happening. The party did find the source of the water level, and once the sewers were an option again, most of the rats did leave, so the city considers it a success. But the still standing mystery of who, or what, blocked the sewer drains, and for what reason, still exists, and the party didn't seem too concerned with discovering why. Very well, I suppose.

They were provided with a second job. Bartleby offered Talia and Nirick their choice of potions from a collection he had acquired in his business dealings, if they solve a different rat problem in his warehouse. Apparently, a few particularly large rats had moved in, and had gotten into his potion store. One, apparently, had knocked over a potion of speed, and another had somehow gotten into a potion of giant strength. There is a third in there, but Bartleby doesnt know what he got into, but it smells like burnt hair. The party will attempt this mission at a later date. Talia and Nirick declined to tell the rest of the party about their payment, and instead, it is being passed along as a "reward" for now being the owners of an exclusive exterminators' licence in Saltmarsh.

The final move of the day was River's decision to not tell the town about the investigation, or their findings. Instead, he sang songs in Mick's tavern about how the most famous dwarf in the world ate all of the rats in Saltmarsh, and how no job is too small for their team and their odd, but heroic dwarf. With the two gambling witnesses from earlier in the session, the statement sticks, and the town appears to believe that the dwarf, indeed, ate all of the rats. In reality, he was held up in bed with a fever, but whatever.

Until next time, be excellent to one another, and party on, dudes.