Session 13: New Faces

The Ratcatchers gathered once more in the Moon-Fork Inn, some familiar faces and a few new ones, taking time to get to know each other as the city of Lexica slowly began to return to an uneasy calm. It wasn’t long, however, before a new concern surfaced. Rumors circulated through the inn—a strange creature had been slain by the Lexican Custodians, emerging from the sewers beneath Tier 1, but the Custodians were refusing to investigate further. Driven by a sense of duty—or perhaps curiosity—the Ratcatchers decided to take up the task themselves.   Meanwhile, in a scorched, shadowed chamber overlooking Lexica, the white-haired Guildmaster listens grimly as a subordinate reports the Ratcatchers’ success in rescuing Targos and hitting one of their warehouses. Calm but razor-sharp, the Guildmaster reprimands the oversight and surveys the fog-choked city, declaring that fear is the key to controlling the shaken populace—but the Ratcatchers, unafraid and meddlesome, threaten that control. Marking their location on a map, he orders them watched, not harmed—yet. But if they continue interfering, he vows to “burn out the rot.”   Returning back to the Ratcatchers. Seeking more information, they tracked down Aeli Ironclad, a local shepherd who confirmed the rumors and pointed them toward the site of the incident near the Tier 1 gates. There, the group met Arielle Silverthorn, who guided them to a nearby alleyway where the creature had surfaced. From there, the Ratcatchers descended into the city's underground sewer system, their footsteps echoing in the damp, oppressive dark.   Their investigation was quickly met with violence. Flesh golems—stitched abominations of meat—and a hulking iron golem ambushed them in the tunnels. The battle was brutal and nearly cost them their lives, but through sheer grit they managed to overcome the mechanical and monstrous attackers. Pressing onward down a left-hand path, they discovered something unexpected—a small community of humans living in the sewers, eking out survival away from the eyes of the city above.   From the sewer-dwellers, the Ratcatchers learned that a powerful presence—likely the source of the flesh golems—lay back along the central pathway they had bypassed earlier. Doubling back, they eventually confronted the Gutter Mage, a deranged spellcaster responsible for the foul creations beneath the city. After a dangerous fight, they defeated him and destroyed his twisted research, cutting off the source of the golems' creation.   Still cautious, the Ratcatchers chose to sweep the remainder of the sewers, ensuring no more of the abominations lurked below. Along the way, they discovered a room housing a strange circular control panel, which they managed to activate, improving air circulation throughout the sewer system—a small but significant boon for those still living down there.   After returning from the depths of the sewers, the Ratcatchers spent the night at the Moon-Fork Inn, resting their weary bodies and allowing wounds to close, both old and new. The day’s battles with flesh and iron golems, the discovery of a hidden community beneath the streets, and the defeat of the twisted Gutter Mage weighed heavily on them. As they rested, rumors drifted through the tavern’s smoky air—children vanishing in Tier 2, gone without a trace. Though exhausted, the Ratcatchers knew their work in Lexica was far from over.