The Extermination | Page 2

The Extermination
Discussion in 'DM Challenges' started by Shibs, Mar 20, 2018.
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  1. Location Rooftop Garden (Upstairs) - 1/3

    Alkaid gave the groundskeeper a gracious smile as he answered their questions and jotted down the layout, doing her best to keep a straight face all the while. If the rats came in as a swarm and made their home in such little time—whelp—nail, meet coffin. And then to add on top of that the whole "don't break priceless artifacts" thing...

    She finally let out a sigh as they headed inside, a mistake she realized as soon as she was fully indoors, when the smell of rat piss quite literally all over the place hit her, "Ugh. I hope those with sensitive noses brought a mask or something, because holy hell. What kind of water have these things been drinking?"

    Years ago, back when Alkaid worked retail, she remembered when an elderly woman couldn't quite make it to the bathroom and left a trail in her wake. It was kind of like that, except only about as unpleasant as a unkept litter box.

    Regardless, eventually everyone would make it inside. And in turn, the question of who was the most experienced of this lot would be raised. Newer players were supposed to stay below, but activity on the comms channel already began to dismiss that as someone Alkaid was almost sure was new chimed in. An awkward enough thing in and of itself, talking in such a manner when everyone was gathered, but it was surprisingly efficient. Alkaid quickly identified a sharp-eyed elf—Yladian, she mentally corrected—and one of the Felis as the other speakers for their would-be team. She couldn't actually view their gear or mastery levels to see if they counted as "experienced", but at the very least they had a solid plan to go on.

    As soon as she made it upstairs, however, she was greeted with another assault upon her nostrils. The acrid scent of rat excrement overpowered by an abundance of fragrances all hovering in the air to form one, nauseating odor.

    Alkaid pulled out a card from her deck. An Aeromancy spell took form in turn, eliminating all but a faint whiff of such fragrance from their vicinity. Or at least for a little bit.

    "Just as heads up, this spell's effects are going to have to fade a bit for when we get rolling," she warned, "Although at least now I know part of this guy's problem. If he's got a garden this damn big he could've at least been smart enough to plant something pests won't like, rather than every exotic thing he could find..."

    Summary: Using Aeromancy to first disperse the scent of the flowers, will then use it to help guide the rats or move them/spores around if need be.

    @Nikephoros @Lycia

    edit: forgot tags cuz I'm a potato
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
  2. Location Rooftop Garden (Upstairs) - 2/3

    This was the proverbial it, then... Following others over to the mansion, Nikephoros left the stables and entered behind a handful of others as they were let into the grounds to try and rectify the resilient and rabid rodent revolution with rapidly responded resourcefulness. And how.

    Alkaid and he tossed a handful of comments back and forth in the comm channel of the User Interface, before he realized the woman was standing nearby and he could simply pat her on the shoulder to get her attention. But after a grimace and a gripe about the state of the place, the woman was off and up the steps heading towards the second level. He followed close behind at her heels, careful of where he stepped, as not only were there ample rat droppings and pools of urine; rats themselves still ran amok, and it would not do to trod on the things and rile them up. Ranseur in hand, the elven man began to bat aside any rats that got within a foot or so of him, non-lethally smacking them aside with the butt of his polearm.

    "Much better!" the man said as Alkaid removed some of the odor from the area, making it easier to concentrate. Reaching the garden, he looked about and found a planter full of venus fly traps and pitcher plants; both carnivorous things, but small and utterly normal at the moment. Focusing, the man poured magical energy into the plants, glad that he did not have to try and conjure them from something else. It was much easier to just... enhance what was already there, and as he juiced them up with raw nature magic, the fly traps and pitcher plants grew larger, larger, and bigger still. Cat, dog, man sized... there, that would do!

    Casting about, the fly traps reached with their coiling roots and vines, grabbing rats and throwing them into their maws which were lined with so many deadly and poisoned thorns. The rats died, squealing, swallowed down into the bases of the plants to become fertilizer in the soil of the planters.
    The pitcher plants let out their own deadly attack... a beautiful, wondrous, siren call of a smell: delicious treats. Cheese and peanut butter, the sweet sickness of rotten fruits and pungent punch of carrion flesh. All that a rat could dream of eating, a feast to be enjoyed, came from within the pitchers. As rats leaped within, delighted by the rich and delicious syrup there, they too began to squeak and squeal as it dawned upon them that they were now stuck, and as each new rat ran in, one was pushed down below into the mire to drown. The pitchers used their vines to push down all that might escape, a large leaf acting as a lid that closed once they had eaten their fill.

    No mess. No fuss. And as he stopped channeling magic into them, the plants began to revert back to their normal sizes, the contents of their recent feast mysteriously vanishing as not a trace of the eaten rats was left behind.

    Nature. Not even once.

    Summary: Using nature magic to turn little plants into big plants, and living rats into dead rats.
     
  3. Location Kitchen – 1/2

    ”I do like the outside areas and plants in this place… although I would prefer a simpler house.”

    After all what was the point of large houses where most rooms were rarely used? They might have fancy places, but it was pointless if no one could take time to enjoy them. And sure, here they were Felis princesses… but even then Milah couldn’t imagine wanting a mansion. Not when there was a while outside world to explore.

    Soon her sister was dragging her to the porch with a few others, drawn in by the loud introduction of a silver haired… was it a girl or a boy? Not being very social Milah remained quiet, content to listen and watch while she thought of a few ideas. Ideas that were promptly tossed out as the gruff man designated the areas they would be covering, splitting the sisters between the top and bottom levels.

    Her tail twitched slightly in mild annoyance, but at the same time it made sense if she thought about it. Besides, like it or not, she wouldn’t always have the chance to be around her sister. A sympathizing glance was given to @Lycia, squeezing her sister’s hand, before they entered the house.

    The stench that assaulted her nostrils was enough to make Milah’s ears pin back as a hiss escaped her lips, hands raising quickly to cover her mouth and nose for a moment while adjusting to this new environment. By the scent alone she was forced to admit that the groundskeeper wasn’t exaggerating when he said the place was overrun with rats.

    Keen eyes looked about, Milah’s brain already switching gears as she investigated. Ears flickered, trying to catch the scurrying sound of any rats, and after a glance to confirm her sister was moving upstairs with the others the Felis continued into a nearby room on her own.

    Perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that she had managed to find her way into the kitchen of the mansion. It was certainly a place she often spent a lot of time in her own RL world—cooking and baking had always been a welcomed comfort and distraction, and her sister was always happy to test her creations. This kitchen though… the stench of the rats was just as strong here as everywhere else.

    This simply would not do, Milah wouldn’t be able to focus on any other areas until she knew the kitchen was clean. Carefully and quietly her eyes looked up and down into every detail, catching the faint but present clues as well as sounds that would lead to her prey…

    The first step was to figure out where in this room the rats were nesting… once found she took out the trap given by the silver haired boy, set carefully before stepping back.


    Summary: Using her Hunting skill to attune and find the main source of the rats through tracks, scent and sound in the room to pinpoint their location and setting the trap given by Tetsunosuke
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2018
  4. Location Laboratory - 1/2

    With @Yukisa in tow, the cursemage made her way around the back of the mansion's grand staircase, noticing a comparatively small enclosure underneath it.

    "Let's see what's in here," she muttered half to herself as she gripped the doorknob and gave it a twist.

    The door slid open with ease, revealing a hobbyist's laboratory. The lab itself was kind of small, but much like the rest of the manor no expense had been spared.

    A beautiful yet practical long table sat against the far wall, decorated with a very expensive-looking set of instruments. Beakers, alembics, a calcinator, a couple retorts all hooked up in succession as to make the process of coaxing powerful potions and poultices out of ingredients lined the length of the table. Along the wall, rows upon rows of ingredients were neatly kept in alphabetical order in jars and bottles and boxes.

    The floor, like the rest of the rooms she caught glimpses of, was practically swimming with rats. Not enough to make a moving carpet out of them--she could still make out the dirt and refuse-caked floorboards underneath--but enough to understand why Nigel Westfall and company tipped their hats and took their leave for the time being.

    Madison's mind immediately went to work. If she couldn't find a personal library to pillage, this would have to do for now. Clear the rats out, grab a few thing she needed for her own research when Yukisa's back was turned, and move onto the next room.

    The witch glanced at her partner, a dark twinkle in her sapphire eyes. "You sure you don't wanna' be transformed? I'll do it caerphilly, I promise," she said with a smirk.

    As fun of an idea it was, it was probably not the smartest one. Instead, after a bit of discussion, the pair came up with another plan. Not wanting to risk the rats going berserk and breaking stuff she might want to take for herself, Madison cut her tarot deck and drew a hand of three off the top.

    The illusion would need to powerful enough to attract the attention of the rats in the lab, but not enough to permeate through the entire lower floor of the mansion. Her mind honed with a laser focus, she closed her eyes and casually tossed the cards into the air before her.

    A second past before the rich smell of peanut butter filled her nostrils. The spell was cast, and she could make out the sounds of rats becoming more uniform. The little beasts inquisitive squeaks echoed off the wooden walls of the small room.

    Madison opened her eyes. She clearly had the mischief's attention.

    It was a good thing she logged out long enough during the groundskeeper's droning introduction to google what the furry little critters actually liked.

    "Alright," she leaned over and whispered to Yukisa. "Get them outta' here. And be careful with that wind of yours."

    Summary: Madison tapped into her skills with Illusion Magic to create an overwhelming scent of peanut butter to pacify the rats.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2018
  5. Location Storage Closet - 1/2

    As he was greeted by a quite beautiful felis who was also asking him to join the Pest Control Division, along with another felis who seemed quite close to her, Tetsunosuke replied with a smile, "Well since you are here anyway to help, then who am I to refuse? All right..." He then opened his UI, browsed his inventory while humming, and then, when he had found the right contraption, he materialized two of it, and gave one each to the two of them. "Those are my engineered rat cages, and I made them so that the catcher would be safe from the bites of rats. This could doubly maximize your efforts if used correctly. It is on its first commercial release, but I will give it to you free of charge. This should be the way of using these." The handled cage being locked then, he turned the locking mechanism ninety degrees, and then, after opening the swivel door, he then placed a small piece of cheese at the bait mechanism. As he placed the cheese, the door became locked in an open position. "When the rat enters and tries to make away with the bait, the cage will close shut. Since the cage is made with a tough and finely-woven steel net, rats will never be able to scratch or bite into it easily until they meet their fate." As they were then assigned to their respective floors, Tetsunosuke then moved immediately to the upper floor where it was said that the infestation was greater, while saying to the two, "So good luck, honorary members of the Lightning Ironworks Pest Control Division!"

    He then found himself at the door of the storage closet at the second floor. He conjectured that if thost rats were prevalent at the second floor, then this area, which was always dark and damp and not frequently visited by the people living in the house, should be the epicenter of it all. As he should know, this should be a good time to be careful. He did not know how many rats were in the area, and if they even had the nerve to stay in that place, and so he had to clear first the inside before hunting down the rats hiding within that room, so as not to be bitten by rats and disparage the whole mission.

    He then materialized a piece of wood that had been steeped into a very potent poison that he had prepared prior to his mission. The wood was treated such that when set afire, it could only smolder and produce deadly smoke. After mounting the wood on a stand and setting it afire until it smolders and the fire was removed, he then quickly opened the door and thrusted the mass inside so that the smoke would fill the area. He then waited for an hour that he had estimated when the poison would have affected most of the rats.

    Summary: Using his Tinkering mastery to combine potent poisons with wood that will just smolder when burnt, and thrusting it towards the inside of the room without the wood touching the floor, door or anything flammable, using it like an insect coil.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2018
  6. Location Rooftop Garden (Upstairs) - 3/3


    Excitedly, Lycia looked at the rat cage from all directions. This looked so cool! And surely it would help with the rat problem that the group was facing. Maybe she could create something similar given time? She put the rat cage in her inventory with a smile and turned toward the NPC giving directions. She would have to find time to test the limits of her imagination!

    Map in one hand, Milah’s hand in the other, she entered the large manor with the rest of the party. She immediately frowned as the scent of rats and poop and pee assailed her.

    Yuck~ she whispered, her nostrils flaring.

    A few words were thrown back and forth between herself and two other members of the bunch. Lycia was excited to go to the second floor and the garden seemed like a good enough place to start. When two others agreed with her and started heading off in that direction, the young girl smiled and almost dashed after them. It was Milah’s annoyed glance that gave her pause.

    Don’t worry! Lycia whispered to her with a smile. These people all look like they know what they’re doing so you’ll be safe! And I’ll be right back. And maybe I’ll find a pretty flower to give you!

    She squeezed her sister’s hand and dashed up the stairs behind the other two.

    Her nostrils were immediately thankful when Alkaid used her spell. The overpowering stench of rat wasn’t so overpowering anymore! She could even wander forward a few steps without grimacing.

    Entering the garden, Lycia was amazed at the plants that were housed there. She didn’t know any of them by name, but many of them looked exotic and a few of them even smell familiar to her. She was sure that she didn’t have these at her house, however. Her mom couldn’t keep a plant alive to save anyone’s life.

    Extracting her zills from her inventory, she quickly equipped them and went into her skills menu, looking for something that would fit the quest. There was a spell called Suggestive Melody that spoke about ensnaring and debuffing many targets in an area. That sounded like it could work, so Lycia decided to put it to work. The chime of the zills rang out from the girl, circling around her in multicolor music notes. A quick flourish of her hands and they spread out, dancing down the aisles of the garden and floating into the fauna, catching a few of the rats off guard. They began to wander drunkenly toward her.

    Ha ha! It worked!

    Another chime, another note, and Lycia did a little spin, her tiny tongue poking out the side of her mouth in concentration. She danced with her tunes, allowing the music to lead the rats to their demise. Specifically, right into the living fauna that Nikephoros had animated.​


    Summary: Use Harmonic Magic to captivate the rats and leave them into the venus flytraps that Nikephoros had animated.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2018
  7. Location Laboratory- 2/2

    The last thing Yukisa thought would happen today was to encounter a witch who would offer to turn him into cheese. Seeing enough rats to fill up a swimming pool? Sure, that was a possibility he had in mind. However, it was pretty shocking to hear the suggestion of drawing them out by transforming him into anthropomorphic cheddar.

    Now, you must be wondering how he ended up in such a situation. Let’s go back to the brieginning, shall we?

    Not knowing anyone amongst the group of adventurers, Yukisa wasn’t really expecting anyone to take him up on his offer of pairing up. Which was good, because as everyone had begun splitting up into teams to clear out the rats, he was left in the dirt. At least his sensitive heart didn’t hurt too much since he came in with lowered hopes.

    A person with half a proper brain would likely avoid pairing up with the one who had been screaming “RATS AAAAAAAAAAAH!” But our dear Yuki’s head was filled with 100% dysfunctional gray matter that likely wouldn’t warn him of danger even if an 8 foot tall, tattooed mafioso wielding brass knuckles said “I’ll beat the shit out of you” so long as he apologized each time he punched his gut.

    And so, one thing lead to another, and now the two were standing outside the laboratory, scheming their plan to lure the rats out.

    @Madison Freebird had suggested she use her illusion magic to cause him to appear as cheese to the rats. While it did sound like it would work, the thought of tripping and ending up buried under a sea of rats caused a shudder to run through him. As compliant as he was, the silver-haired male preferred avoiding that situation and he had to refuse the cheesy offer with a nervous chuckle and a, “That’s a really… interesting idea, but I think we should keep thinking for a little longer.”

    Luckily the female was understanding enough about the circumstances, and the two returned to brainstorming. After Yukisa suggested use of his Aeromancy, the cursemage seemed to form a solid plan that would both lure the rats out and didn’t involve using live bait.

    They set out on completing the task at hand. He stared at Madison in slight confusion as she cast the spell, anticipating some fancy effects or an obvious giveaway that magic was at work. Since the rats didn’t seem to care much at first, the boy momentarily doubted the spell’s effectiveness. However, when his own stomach let out a loud growl from the gradually intensifying scent of peanut butter, he knew that Madison definitely managed to get it right, and a faint blush decorated his cheeks as he glanced away in embarrassment. Damn, he really needed to pay attention to his hunger meter.

    Upon hearing a whisper come from behind him while he was distracted by his stomach’s neediness, the youth jolted slightly, adding onto his embarrassment. “A-Ah, yeah,” he replied with a gulp, turning to look towards his partner. “I’ll do my best!”

    Straightening up, the aeromancer inhaled and closed his eyes. The air around them began to flow, dragging the scent in the room along with it. The smell concentrated into a steady stream, and a matching succession of dark critters followed it in the direction of the entrance.

    Yukisa opened his eyes, watching their plan unfold. He turned to look towards Madison, a soft, satisfied smile on his face. “We did it!” he said excitedly… only for his excitement to die down as the rodents continued flowing out and he realized something. “... Uh, what are we doing with all these rats now?”

    Summary: Using Aeromancy to create a flow of peanut butter-y wind, Yukisa lead the rats outside of the laboratory.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2018
  8. Location Armory - 1/2

    Haru stared at the doors to the Armory. They did not stare back. They were doors, and the notion that they could be capable of staring at someone (or having eyeballs) was ridiculous. Still, he felt as if he were being stared at and he probably was. If that was the case, what was watching him?

    Rats. He was sure that they couldn't see through the well maintained doors protecting the rest of the castle from the steel within, but the thought of these vermin swarming within made Haru fairly uncomfortable. What were they even doing in there, learning how to use swords or something?

    ...That sounded stupid, but the idea actually wouldn't leave his head now. The thought of rats with advanced weaponry was distressing Haru more than he'd like to admit although he could easily identify this idea as a fictional one.

    Haru decides to nip his budding fantasies before he got stressed out about it. He takes a moment to grab a few potted plants around the house, making sure to look for ferns in the lobby that won't be missed before placing them by the door.

    "Vincent," Haru calls to his friend, as he doesn't seem to be doing anything yet, "You told me that you were practicing your technique, yes? Let me set this up for you so you can show me." With his usual lax smile he pats the other's shoulder before using his energy to reach out to his soul. Haru doubted it was anything but a representation for Player Characters, and that what he would actually feel on his end would be equivalent to a spike of adrenaline, but he bolstered the man's soul nonetheless. He'd hate to see a lack of confidence in his friend.

    With this he turns back to the door which he had unlocked. He had turned the doorknob and inched it slightly so that he could do this while holding a potted plant in each hand. He kicks the door open as he tosses the plants in, already beginning to draw the formula a spell in the air before they shatter on the ground. Free mode was wonderful.

    "Strangleweed, tangle them!" The ferns explode outwards, now green voids that wished to pull rats into their event horizons. They expanded mercilessly to wrap around as many living creatures as they possibly could, as he had directed. A few leaves had even wrapped around his ankles.

    Haru knew that a stunt like this was a stretch of logic and so would not last for very long, but he wasn't the one who needed to worry about that aside from trying to keep the spell maintained as long as he could. He calls behind him, "Yo, Vincent! It's time for some pest control. Go!"

    Summary: Haru buffs Vincent's damage with spirit magic before entangling as many rats as he can for @Vincent Cain to slaughter them using Nature magic.
     
  9. Location Armory- 2/2

    It was go time. Vince had no idea what on earth Haru had just done to him, but he felt fucking great. The plan explained was super simple, Haru would set them up, Vinny would knock em down like dominoes. The game, not the pizza mind you. Yet he wasn't quite ready for what his friend was about to do, the door flew open and the living tangle bombs went flying.

    Hot damn

    The rats were snared up faster than fast, leaving the hairy little football sized rodents literal sitting ducks. Vince dashed forward, scanning the room quickly as he went. His own shitty gear wasn't going to do the trick, but luckily he had an armory at his disposal. A nearby rack had a nice looking sword that he liberated from its holster and went to work. He was a whirling dervish of attacks, so to speak. He made his way around the room slicing and dicing, hacking and slashing, thising and thating. When he managed, he'd armed himself with another blade, doubling his slap chop potential.

    The vines couldn't hold forever, especially after he'd been slashing through them to rip the rats to bits, so soon he found himself with a real fight.

    About a quarter of the rats remained, and they were ready to swarm on him and nibble his ankles to death. Luckily Vince had a plan as he hopped back putting himself between the door and the rats. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, imagining his own form armed to the teeth like he was, and set it into motion. Two very translucent phantasm copies of Vince emerged from his body and dashed forwards, one to the left, and the other to the right. Vince followed suit down the middle, the birth of his conceptual special attack, the Three Vince Monte. The illusions were bad, but the rats were dumb and quick to lash at anything that looked like a foe. The distraction, however brief it was, gave Vince enough time to do the needed damage and route the last of the furry little pests.

    "Ya see Haru? Told you I was the best at dabbing on rats." To accentuate the point he pantomimed the rather viral pose of this so called Dab, being careful not to cut himself with his acquired swords.

    Summary: Using the buff to damage from Haru, and the set up he made with the vines, Vince burst in and grabbed two blades from the armory and went to town showing them why they call him Vinnie the Slap Chop using his Slashing mastery. When the vines broke, he distracted them with his illusion mastery to divide up the fight so he could finish it.
     
  10. Shibs

    Shibs

    Staff Member Game Master

    The adventurers thudded into the house with what appeared to be a complete lack of hesitation. Despite the negative emotions whirling within Ralin, he could not stop his lips from quirking into a smile. They were brave, considering the mess that they were charging into; even Nigel Westfall's private force had been put off by the plague rats. But these men and women did not miss a step, and he could appreciate that. So he simply followed behind, stepping over the pests that scurried across the entrance hall.

    He was content to merely observe, intrigued by the unorthodox means in which the rats were cleared. They were creative, and so far, they were mindful of the master's wishes. No great fireballs, or destructive acts of magic punched through painted walls, or fried priceless artifacts to a crisp.

    He was lost in thought when one of the adventurers asked about said artifacts. Ralin turned to @Vivian Cruz, brow knitting as he walked back through his memories.

    Nothing jumps out at me, but that does not mean much. Mister Westfall was always bringing pieces back from his many trips, or gifts that others gave to him. Quite a bit of his collection was given to him by men he met for business.


    The man's fingers raked absently through his beard as he studied the violet-haired woman. He could hear the voices of others in the various room, echoing in the large entrance hall. Why was she so intrigued with the artifacts? Could one of them have something to do with the infestation? In a world with as much magic as the adventurers were wielding, he could hardly count out any possibility.

    His artifacts are spread out all over the house. There is really at least one in every room. There are also a number of trap doors and secret rooms here, though even I could not tell you where they are - Mister Westfall is incredibly secretive.


    Unable to provide any more information, he bid the woman farewell, and began to wander the mansion. The squeals of panicked and dying plague rats might have pulled at a softer man's heartstrings, but Ralin relished in them. He had seen the monsters lay waste to the property he loved, and he was glad to see them taken care of. As he visited each room, he provided a bit of additional information to the rat-slayers.

    The last group found that the rats seemed to adapt the longer they took to fight them. Rats that were scared or tricked by something wisened up, and were not affected the next time. No telling why, but you may want to keep that in mind.


    As the groundskeeper wandered back to the entrance hall, he heard the unmistakable growl of an angered animal. The menagerie, he thought with a wisp of amusement, but then he paused. No, he had never heard that particular sound before....

    OOC
    General Information
    • Any additions/changes from the previous cycle are in purple.
    • Word limit for this cycle is between 100-500 words. Please pay close attention to this!
    • Each person can help clear one room this cycle.
    • The minimum number of individuals needed to clear a room of rats is listed below. Though more can help, that minimum must be met.
    • To clear a room, players must work together to orchestrate a plan. Use your masteries and vocations, and anything that the room has to offer.
    • For example, to clear a barn, you might have a beast tamer calm the animals, a geomancer create a trench to guide the rats out, and a hydromancer to flood the trenches and move them along.
    • The more creative you are, the better chance you have of success.
    • Remember: Avoid causing too much damage! Do not simply set the room on fire, regardless of how much you hate rats.
    • Each player must play a role in clearing the room. Their contribution must be evident - they cannot stand and watch.
    • There are no rolls. Make your post, and find out if you were successful with the next cycle.
    • Use the communication thread, PM, or Discord to team up with your comrades, and create your plan!
    • Rooms that were attempted in cycle one can be finished in cycle two (for example, if only one of two people posted).
    • For a better chance at success this turn, please work with different people, and try a new method!
    • Questions? Ideas? Just let me know!
    Teams
    Posting Template
    Code:
    [center][loc=Location]Room - #/#[/loc][/center]
    
    Post here.
    
    [b2]Summary:[/b2] Briefly summarize what it is you did, specifying any masteries/vocations/items used!
    Place this code at the top of your post! Replace the pound signs with how many players are needed to clear a room, and which one you are. So if you are the first of three, you would write "1/3."

    Westfall Manor

    Downstairs
    [​IMG]
    Upstairs
    [​IMG]
    Kitchen
    A long room with a low ceiling. There is little room to move about, as the space is filled with cupboards and counters. The metal cookware that dangles from the racks clinks like pleasant windchimes with the slightest breeze. Jars filled with exotic spices in all colors are arranged in precise order.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Gym
    A wide room with few windows. A hoop hangs from the wall on either end, and a variety of balls are piled in one corner. Free-weights, ranging from five pounds to fifty pounds each, are arranged in on a rack. Lines, in various colors, are drawn across the hardwood floor.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Laboratory
    A small room, with a slanted ceiling, tucked beneath the grand staircase. It has no windows, and one door. Glass vials filled with numerous chemicals are housed on shelves. A long table occupies the far wall, with an ornate, complicated chemistry set spread across it.
    Requires at least two people to clear.


    Grotto
    A one-of-a-kind addition to Westfall Manor. The small room is designed to mimic a grotto, with real rock lining the floor, ceiling, and walls. Veins of multi-colored crystal shimmer from the rockface with the help of magic. Everything is damp, and has a very earthy smell. A small pool, big enough for three or four people, rests in the middle.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Dining Hall
    A massive room, used to host fancy dinners and frivolous galas. A sturdy wooden table, long enough to seat forty people, stands in the middle of an easily-converted dance floor. It is set for as many people, with plates, cutlery, and glass drinkware. Ornate tapestries hang from the walls, and a collection of musical instruments wait in the corner.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Workshop
    Much of Nigel Westfall’s wealth comes from the technological advancements of his many companies. His workshop is littered with half-completed projects, metal husks waiting to be brought to life. A myriad of tools hang from the wall, and blueprints for… something… are spread across the table.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Armory
    Suits of armor frame the doorway, both on the inside, and the outside. Weapons of all shapes and sizes rest on wall-hooks, and a mat covers much of the floor. Twin punching bags hang in two of the corners.
    Requires at least two people to clear.


    Menagerie
    One of the largest rooms in the house, and Nigel’s pride and joy. Exotic animals from all over Terrasphere are housed here, in small, decorated enclosures. Everything from mountain tigers to brightly-colored birds can be found in the man’s personal zoo.
    Requires at least two people to clear.
    Rooftop Garden
    Glass ceiling and exterior walls bring in as much sunlight as possible, and bring life to Nigel’s collection of exotic plants. The smell is overpowering, intoxicating, and the space stays warm year-round. The plants are arranged in an organized way, though meant to mimic nature’s chaos, and a multi-tiered fountain bubbles joyfully.
    Requires at least three people to clear.


    Library
    Skylights brighten the room, decorated in colors similar to those in the recreation room. The thick carpet and dark colors create a snug, homely atmosphere, accented by a crackling fireplace and overstuffed armchairs. The walls are lined, floor to ceiling, with shelves of books.
    Requires at least three people to clear.

    Recreation Room
    A cozy room with forest green wallpaper and lush carpet. The heads of dangerous animals are proudly displayed along the walls alongside two dartboards. A pool table with rich crimson velvet sits in the center.
    Requires at least three people to clear.

    Master Bedroom
    Where the man himself sleeps. A large room with surprisingly modern decor, filled with sleek statues of women. There is a king-sized bed draped in white and gray blankets. There is also a writing desk, a dresser, a wardrobe, and shelves containing priceless artistic treasures.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Servant’s Quarters
    A simple room, without decoration, or anything else that might make it unique. It holds three bunk-beds, with space enough for the cooks and housekeepers (those who work outside sleep above the carriage house). There are also six plain trunks along the wall, for personal belongings.
    Requires at least two people to clear.

    Storage Closet
    There is nothing but rats in this room… right?
    Requires at least two people to clear.


     
  11. Location Grotto - 1/2

    "Hey, murderbuddy!" Madison's shouting tore down the hallways of the mansion as she threw open the door to the grotto. "Get your ass over here, there's killing to be done!"

    The grotto was exactly what you would expect from a guy who had an infinite money cheat activated and an endless amount of free time on his hand. Glowing crystals jutted from the ceiling, illuminating the rocky surface of the entire space. Rats swarmed the area, as they did the rest of the house. Some of them skittered around, climbing the mossy rocks and leaping over one another playfully. Others relaxed in the shallow pool in the middle of the grotto. One or two of them had drowned by the time the witch thundered into the room.

    Madison glanced around, seemingly unnoticed by the vermin.

    "Fuckin' deadly," she whispered from behind a malicious smile.

    She'd make this one easy for @Eyas Amari. Kneeling down to the ground, a musty, earthy smell filled her nostrils, mixing with the stench of the rats. Maddy would've breathed through her mouth, but she quickly discovered that she could practically taste the horrid concoction if she tried.

    Tapping into every ounce of strength she could, Madison spread a reading of seven cards onto the damp surface of the grotto floor. Igniting in green flames, within a second everything around her seemed to shift.

    The rustling of vines could be heard all around her as a forest of thick, thorny green shit burst from every surface of the grotto, flailing around until they wrapped themselves tightly around most of the rats that did not escape. The ones caught lingering in the pool found themselves dragged down inches below the surface, deprived of precious and highly-necessary oxygen. A chorus of horrified shrieking filled her ears.

    Madison's smile only grew with each passing second.

    Summary: Maddy believes in the heart of the cards and summons vines from every crack and crevice between the rocks to restrain the rats out of the pool and drown the ones in it.
     
  12. Location Dining Hall – 1/2

    She’d done what she could with the kitchen, and although it upsetted her to leave it unfinished there were other parts of the house to investigate. With a frustrated ”Tch,” Milah begun to make her way towards the hallways before stopping cold in her tracks. Feline ears perked up, catching the conversation not too far away between another adventurer and the groundskeeper before the Felis finally slinked off into another room in the downstairs areas.

    She kept their conversation active in her mind, her senses now not only focused on the rats but also on her surroundings as Milah entered the nearby Dining Hall. Here, too, the rats had infested everything—but with quickly and deft movements the Felis begun clearing them as her arrows promptly found themselves embedded into the critters.

    It was hard work, tedious and boring too, but she lacked any fancy magic tricks to her disposal. It might not be pretty, or flashy, but it would get the job done and meet the requirements of not destroying the place after all. Hopefully the trap she had set in the kitchen, carefully placed following her instincts, along with the aid of another wandering adventurer, would finish the work there—and if Milah was lucky enough to find someone else to help wrap up here with her then that would mean at least the kitchen and dining area could be cleared of these foul vermin at last.

    The only good part about this monotonous work (seriously, she hoped at least her sister Lycia was having a more exciting time compared to hers in this little quest) was that it allowed the Felis to inspect the room more as she moved quietly, arrow after arrow sinking into rats as the scampered about open places. That meant she could explore the area carefully as she moved about the large space, searching for any clues that might signal or give away the possibility of a hidden entrance or something that could explain this absurdly high amount of rats infesting the place.


    Summary: Using her Range skill Milah takes to shooting down the rats she can find with her bow. She also uses Hunting to keep an eye out for any odd artifacts and/or possible secret entrances after overhearing the hallway conversation between Ralin and Vivian.
     
  13. Location Book Prison- 1/3

    Well, that was the garden handled. Nodding in satisfaction to his comrades, Nikephoros set out immediately for the next of the rooms he felt it important to clear. The library, a place of knowledge and which would doubtless have many important tomes on its shelves, was a place that needed clearing immediately if they were to prevent the pages from being torn up and used as rat nesting, or utterly soaked in grime and filth.

    Strolling over to the library, the elven man opened the door, casting his eyes about. Rats abounded, as he expected... and there were no plants to pull any tricks with here. But there was a hearth...
    Messy.
    But?
    It'd have to do.

    Crossing to the fireplace, he stooped and grabbed some fresh logs from a stack beside the brickwork, set them in place, and made sure the damper was opened and the flue was clear. Thus satisfied, he tossed in the straw he had taken form the stables to help act as tinder, then set the logs ablaze and took a step back.

    "Right... this one will be less pleasant. Would somebody with aeromancy please push air into the fireplace to blow all the ash and smoke and... foul stench... up and out of the chimney. I and the another can round up the rats and toss them into the fireplace, and make sure they die there without making any large messes."

    He considered the plan for a moment, but could think of nothing better... so, grimacing, he thrust his ranseur out and quickly stuck a rat on its pronged ends, killing the beast instantly and moving with fluid motion to turn and discard the corpse in the fireplace, where flames began to lick at it and burn it away. It was the cleanest way to handle this room that he could think of; one need only sweep out the bones at the end, provided everyone handled their part of it and nothing went wrong.

    Summary: Stabbing rats with a ranseur and tossing their dead bodies into a large fireplace to cremate.
     
  14. Location Supply Closet - 2/2

    The two adults Lycia had partied with to clear out the garden had quickly, and quietly, left her alone. She was standing in the middle of the room with a smile on her face, the scent of honeysuckle perfuming the air. Ahhh, so much better than the smell of stinky rats. Feeling accomplished, she turned her attention to the map in her hands and nibbled on her bottom lip. There was a closet marked on the map that seemed interesting….in the way that every closet in the world is an interesting hideaway for young children.

    Destination decided, she pocketed the map and eagerly made her way along the second floor of the manor. Coming around the corner, she noticed the man(?) exiting the closet, the very same man(?!) that had given her the rat cage at the beginning of the quest. Exchanging a few words with him(?), Lycia looked at the door behind him, puffed her chest out and walked into the darkened interior while closing the door behind her.

    It was cool…like temperature wise, not cool factor wise. It was dark and there were many knickknacks on the shelves and in boxes on the floor and there was just enough room for her to turn sideways and stick her arms out to either side of her. Her fingertips brushed the door and the back of the closet at the same time. She couldn’t make out the ceiling, but she did notice the many shelves that lined the walls and they climbed up, up, up out of view. Moreover, she could hear the skittering.

    Listen here, Ratigan! This isn’t your house so you and all your rats gotta get out. Her voice echoed in the little room and to anyone walking by, it would seem strange that the young Felis had locked herself in a closet only to yell at the walls. But they didn’t hear the skittering that she did. And the squeaking! Oh, the squeaking was the worst.

    Drawing inspiration from her theatrics vocation…and the fact that she was a kitten-girl, Lycia grinned and began to click her tongue in the same manner she had seen her Gramma’s cat do when it was out in the backyard hunting butterflies. Maybe the noise would be enough to scare off whatever was left of the rats, after all. If not, she could use her kitty-like reflexes to shred them to pieces!


    Summary: Using theatrics vocation to mimic the sound of a cat chittering to scare the live mice into running out of the closet.
     
  15. Location Dining Hall - 2/2

    With the rats making their way out of the mansion after the (literally) sweet breeze, that was one problem out of two having been dealt with. The other issue? Yukisa’s empty stomach that caused him a slightly embarrassing moment. The male was quite the glutton, and after travelling to Duunstads from Stokbon by foot, with his wits, talents and what little gold he had received from low-paying quests as his only way of obtaining food, he was feeling starved at this point.

    ‘Well… this is a noble’s manor, right?’ he thought to himself, a plan to calm his raging belly slowly taking shape. If he recalled correctly, there was a dining hall somewhere around the lower floor, which meant there must be food. And though Yuki felt bad exploiting the fact Mister Westfall asked for his assistance on this matter, at this point his heart was losing control of his actions as his stomach took over.

    It took a while of wandering to find the room he was looking for, as even with a map (which he didn’t have), the boy had the sense of direction of a compass without a magnet. But just like a monkey with a typewriter will eventually recreate a Shakespeare play given infinite time, so did he stumble upon his destination.

    The unfortunate part? He didn’t consider the fact that a dining hall wouldn’t have food until, well, people were actually dining in it.

    Instead, all he found were rat corpses with arrows jutting out of them, and other, living rats fleeing from what appeared to be a bow-wielding felis. A strange game of cat and mouse, that’s for sure.

    Seeing so many dead animals, and others running about fearfully, Yukisa’s nausea grew worse than before. Even if they were pests, they could still clearly feel, and that made the innocent male’s heart ache.

    “Please stop killing them!” he suddenly called out to the female in the room, hoping that would at the very least stall her for a while. “We can get rid of them peacefully. Madison and I did it before, and it worked!”

    Sadly, with this new partner, he’d have to figure a new trick out. And since he wasn’t sure for how long he’d be able to keep her attention, he needed to act now.

    Without thinking much, he rushed over to the corner where a set of instruments was laid out. Yuki immediately reached for the violin, it being one of the first instruments he learnt how to play. The general idea was to utilize music to convince the rats to leave, based off of some research that proved animals enjoy music. And so, with a deep breath, Yukisa began to play.

    SCREEEEEE!

    It was horrible. Despite knowing exactly how to play the violin, somehow the sound that came out was ear grating.

    Yukisa cringed, however as he glanced up, he noticed that the rats were actually making their way to the exit. Although this wasn’t how he intended it to go, it was working!


    Summary: After arriving at the dining hall and attempting to play the violin to get the rats to leave, Yukisa's lack of a musical vocation/mastery actually played out in his favor and scared the rats off.
     
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