When the party finds Jian/Roland, he's positioned himself on one hand and spinning in circles, kicking at any dire rats that come close. He flips into a standing position as they approach; at least fifteen dead dire rats litter the passageway, and he shows no signs of even being bit once. He comes to his feet and looks stoically at the others, still on the ready. "Took you long enough." He winks to Menaria. Blushing slightly, Menaria chuckles under her breath as she carefully eyes him to ensure that he has not been hurt. A sigh escapes her as she spies no wounds. "Well I had to be somewhat sociable you know." She then gets a mischevious look upon her face. "At least you weren't bored, looks like you've had some entertainment of your own." As the rest of the party bring more light, a pair of shadows at the edge of the light reveal themselves to be were-rats with short bows. They're taking aim at the party, but apparently waiting for something. Jian turns to them boldly. "What?" Tana slowly draws his scimitar preparing for a fight. Concentrating, he prepares himself while waiting for the rats to make their move. "Why do you trespass in our kingdom, surface-dwellers?" one of the wererats finally calls out. "Your kingdom? We’re here seeking an artifact, moreso the people who took it, from the temple entrance nearby. We mean you no harm, and I myself was only acting out to keep myself alive. Surely you could understand that," says Jian, measuring each word carefully, or at least seeming to before he speaks it. Tana re-sheaths his scimitar before heading to the front of the party. Holding his clearly empty hands out in front of him, he kneels before the wererats as one would kneel before any who hold power over their domain. "We implore your forgiveness in our unintended transgression. However it is imperative that we continue on our quest. Therefore I seek forgiveness for this unfortunate turn of circumstance. We implore you for the approval to continue within your kingdom." Two more wererats appear out of the shadows, this time behind the party, as the first two lower their bows. "Come with us," the spokesman states. By his tone of voice, it is clear that it is not a request. Surrounded, the party is led down the passageway to a small door, which they are told to enter. Inside, the party find themselves in a small field office. An older wererat sits behind a ramshackle desk, and a map of the sewers is laid out across it. The wererat spokesguard jabbers to the older one in broken Undercommon. "You're looking to pass through the Rat Kingdom?" the older one asks the group. "Who is your leader?" Lannstucht, silently keeping her own counsel and guarding the rear until now, steps forward. Addressing herself to the older wererat, she nods a shallow but respectful acknowledgement and gestures gracefully to Menaria. "Honored sir, I present the leader of our party, the Lady Menaria, Priestess of Akanksha." Menaria nods once in greetings to the man behind the desk, then lifts her chin and addressed him. "If it is possible for us to travel through your Kingdom, we would be most appreciative. We are not here to cause trouble." "All surfacers cause trouble," the older wererat nearly hisses, his ears flattening back. "Those who walk around armed," he glances at the weapons Lannstucht and Tana are carrying, "moreso than others. Our patrols are constantly fighting off surface invaders seeking to slaughter our kind as 'vermin'." He seems to spit out the word. "However, you are a priestess of Akanksha, one of our central deities. We will permit you passage on one condition. Our king has fallen ill, and our own priests and priestesses have been unable to heal him. Heal him, and you will be welcomed and able to walk about our kingdom freely. If he dies under your care, however, you will soon follow. Understood?" Menaria nods, as understanding and concern filters across her face. "Please then, let me see him. I will try my best to heal him. If Akanksha wills it, he will live. If not...then I will accept what you have said. Though I will ask, if permissable, that the others live. Have them return to the surface if need be...but only take my life if he dies." Holding her head up a little bit higher, she smiles warmly. "Show me and I will do what I can. I have faith in my goddess and in her powers that she bestows upon me." "Follow me." The older wererat leads them out the door, where they are quickly joined by two other were-rat guards. They are led through the sewer systems several miles to an ornately decorated door. Two wererats stand guard outside the door, who quickly salute the older one. The guard captain barks an order in an odd language, and the guards open the door. The party is then led inside. The inside is a stark contrast to the squallor of the sewers outside. The inside is quite palacial in nature, esquisitely decorated to resemble the keeps and palaces of the human city above. A beautiful wererat (in hybrid form) approaches the party. "Greetings, outlanders. I am Princess Comyna; I was sent word that you are here to tend to my father. Which of you is the healer?" "I am the one," Menaria replies. "Please show me where he is and I will see if my skills can help him." She smiles warmly at the woman after curtsying slightly. The young woman returns the smile with a sad smile of her own, and then lets her gaze travel over the rest of the party. She lingers on Tana and Roland more than the women in the party, and her mouth curls up into a bit of a smirk as she appraises the men. "My father is this way." Comyna states, grabbing Tana by the arm and leading the party down a hallway. "We have had to keep him in an unnatural form in order for our healers to work," she explains as they walk, discretely pressing herself against Tana while doing so, "but so far their efforts have proven less than satisfactory. They've used leeches to bleed him, and cure spells to heal him when he gets worse, but he doesn't get any better." Tana quietly allows the beautiful were-rat to lead him by the arm. Comyna stops outside a door, and detaches herself from Tana. "Only two people are allowed inside -- myself and the healer. The rest of you, wait here." She smiles at Tana, then opens the door, stepping inside for Menaria to follow. Laying on a bed, his skin deathly pale, is an older man in his early forties. He's covered from the waist down with a sheet, and his chest is laid bare. Menaria caught the woman looking at the two men, but ignored the implication as she followed the woman into the room where her father laid. "I'll examine him to see if I can figure out what is ailing him. I can not guarantee anything though, but I will do my best and seek guidance from my goddess if I have to." She then walked over to the man and began to examine him. It takes Menaria five minutes to come to the conclusion that the King is suffering from appendicitis. His appendix is inflammed, and the general procedure is surgery to remove it. She pales visibly. "His appendix is inflammed and I will need to remove it." She looks up at the woman to judge her response. "What do you require to remove it?" Comyna asks. "I need a very sharp knife, some clothes-pins, several bowls of hot, clean water, and clean cloths." She paused as she eyed the woman gently. "They must be clean, both the water and cloths. I will need someone to hold him down unless you have something that will put him to sleep without any side effects. Also, bring some alcohol; any kind will do." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the door to Kings chamber, Tana crouches and starts praying to Vilhelmo. If anyone is listing he is asking Vilhelmo to spare this king, so he may have a glorious death in battle welding a sword dripping with his enemy's blood. He is also asking Golma to stay his hand in collecting this king's soul. Jian looks to Tana curiously with a shrug. "These folk seem hospitable enough, aside from the killing us if we don’t comply part, no? I do wish they’d let us investigate." Tana stops his prayers and looks toward Jian, "Death is naught but the passing from the land of the sun to the care of Golma. So, death matters little," Tana smiles, his feminine facial features even more prevalent. "It is the manner of one’s death than is paramount." Tana stands up from his squatting position, facing Jian. "I can agree with you about continuing out expedition. However it would be most complicated without the leave of the denizens of this territory. To them, this is no doubt a excellent habitat, although I do prefer the sands of the great wastes..." Jian smirks, an odd action from a man so generally devoid of any emotion aside from rage or adrenaline. Before one can figure out what type of facial twist he expressed, however, it disappears. "It seems that we all have a homeland that we want to go back to. Someday, your travels may take you there again. Those of us that can never look back, however, are more out of luck than the common traveler. All we have are wisps of memories that fade with each passing day like sand in an ocean of thought." He sighs quietly. "My tide has long passed." Tana starts, "I am not going to see the sands..." his smile fades as if a cloud passes across his face. "My temperance craves action, not idleness." Turning back towards the door, Tana squats and returns to his prayers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comyna leaves the room, and returns with a sharp kitchen knife. Two servants bring the bowls of steaming hot water, clothes-pins, towels, and a decanter of whiskey. One of the servants takes out a thick piece of wood, placing it into the King's mouth. "Bite down on this when she starts cutting, Father," Comyna tells him softly. He nods slightly, and closes his eyes. Menaria closed her eyes briefly, saying a quick prayer to Akanksha and, seemingly oddly enough, Navor for guidance. She pours a little whiskey onto one of the towels, and rubs it over the blade of the knife. Then she places the knife in one of the bowls of hot water, cleansing and sterilizing it. She then gets to work; slicing into the King's abdomen. She works meticulously, using the clothes-pins to stem the flow of blood as needed. After fifteen minutes, the King winces and bites deep into the wood. Then Menaria produces a bloated, bloody sac from his abdomen, and places it in one of the bowls. She uses the towels, kept damp from the other bowl of water, to clean the surgery area. When she finishes, she dips the knife into the same bowl of water as before, and has one of the servants clean it with the whiskey. She mutters a soft prayer to Akanksha, and the wounds she inflicted during the surgery heal without a trace. The King has nearly bitten through his piece of wood; as soon as Menaria casts her spell to heal the wounds, he visibly relaxes, falling into a deep sleep. "He's still alive," Comyna says softly. "And that ... thing ... was the cause of it?" She indicates the bloated appendix floating in the water bowl with a nod. "Incredible." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- XP Time! Everyone gets 300 XP each for avoiding violence with the were-rats. Menaria gets 250 XP for her surgery. In addition, give yourselves 200 XP instead of 100 XP for this session.