Session 19: The Ash Knives

At the Moon-Fork Inn, the Ratcatchers’ morning calm was shattered when a squad of Ash Knife assassins stormed their rooms, blades flashing in the half-light. The clash was quick and brutal, with the assassins cut down one by one before they could finish their grim work. As the dust settled, agents of Remora slipped into the inn—only to find their help was no longer needed. Surprised but impressed, they explained that Remora had caught word of a kill order placed on the Ratcatchers and had dispatched them to intervene. They would handle the cleanup, but urged the party to meet with Remora immediately. Melxyynia, ever practical, tried to wring a refund from the innkeeper for being attacked during her stay, only to be told with a shrug that such dangers were the risk of lodging at the Moon-Fork.   At Remora’s bookbinding shop, the Shark herself laid out a bold new plan: to strike at the Sweet Fork, a butcher shop that doubled as an Ash Knives stronghold and the site of their secret vault of extortion money. She tasked the Ratcatchers not only with stealing the gold but redistributing it among the people, turning the gang’s own wealth against them. Making their way to the shop, the Ratcatchers quickly realized it was no ordinary butcher’s—plain on the outside but fortified like a barracks. Slipping into the alley, they dispatched the guards and descended into the grisly depths below. There, they uncovered the horrific truth: the butcher’s “mystery meat” was harvested from mortals, another cruelty of the Ash Knives. Pushing on, they stormed the vault chamber, slew the guards within, and tore open the hidden vault concealed behind a fireplace. With armfuls of stolen gold, they returned to the streets, scattering coin to the cheering people. The Ash Knives, wary of the mob’s growing fury, made no move to retaliate.   Returning to Remora, the Ratcatchers received their payment and their next—and final—mission. The Ash Knives’ leadership was gathering in an abandoned temple buried beneath Lexica: Morgan Chambers, Ros O Maille, and Ciaran Dros. Remora revealed this was the perfect chance to decapitate the guild and end their reign of terror. While she moved her agents to secure key safehouses above, the Ratcatchers would strike at the heart. Stocking up on potions at The Wise Bull, they steeled themselves for the fight to come.   Through the suffocating darkness of the lava tubes, the Ratcatchers advanced, fending off a roving Ash Knife patrol before pressing on into the ruined temple. There, beneath the city’s foundations, they came face to face with the three heads of the guild. The battle was vicious, steel and sorcery clashing against the Ratcatchers’ grit and determination. One by one, the lieutenants fell, until at last Morgan Chambers himself lay defeated. Yet even in death, his madness lingered—he called the Ratcatchers wolves, heirs to his twisted legacy, convinced they would carry on his work whether they willed it or not. With his body cooling on the stone, the Ratcatchers looted the fallen, discovering an Arcane Cloak and a Suspended Rod among the spoils. Though victorious, they could not shake the weight of Morgan’s words as they stood over the ashes of the Ash Knives.