One by one, the guards brought the arrivals to the great council hall. The building was old, far older than would have been expected based on the rather modern city outside the windows. The port city of Denn was a popular trading hub in the north west, right on the waters, and not far from the Spine Mountains. Business had been good and the city had flourished, but inside these halls there was a more ancient feel. The new arrivals to Denn had noticed something wrong as soon as they arrived. With the crisp fall air they would have expected to find the streets filled with traders and those bringing in the season’s crops. Instead, the once-vibrant streets were quiet, with shops closed down. Few folks were in the streets and those that dared the outside ran from one building to another with their noses and mouths covered. A foul smell filled the air.

The two soldiers, a man and a woman, led them down a hall and through heavy doors into a chamber that must have once been some sort of war room. Braced along alcoves in the walls were eight identical statues of fully armoured warriors, with intricate helms and great swords pointed to the ground, standing guard over the long table before them. At the far end of the room stood the bronze statue of a large soldier, easily 10 feet tall, with hair flowing down over broad shoulders. The bright light of the braziers reflected off the statue, drawing the eye and also lighting a plaque with elven script that was affixed to the stone base.

The Council of Nine

In the center of all of this were the sounds of vehement argument as the Council of Nine shouted at each other. One of the council members, sitting near the head of the table, motioned for the new arrivals to wait a moment while they tried to get the group to reach a consensus. The figures seated around the long table seemed to represent a diverse selection of the races of Lani. A strong half-orc woman curled her lips up in a smile, with her greenish arms crossed as she leaned back, watching the argument before her. Two elderly human members of the council sat across from her, arguing with the others, and occasionally with each other. Trying to calm them was the dark-skinned leader of the council who seemed quite exasperated with the entire situation and was receiving reassuring pats from a younger mustachioed man seated at her left. Two merchants, a stout hill dwarf and a nervous gnome in a copper hat, seemed to be quite involved in the discussion and were quite clearly worried about the cost of the subject of disagreement. Amongst the chaos at the table sat a quiet elf in a green robe who seemed to be waiting for the impatient council members to make their cases, showing the typical patience of the High Elves of the north. One of the council members, a well-dressed young man with slicked hair, seemed more interested in eyeing up the new arrivals, often turning his attention away from the bickering before him to appraise those coming in the door.

The new arrivals

The first through the door was a slender elf lacking all the typical physical appearance of the northern high elves. He seemed wild in comparison, wearing rough leather armor, and had the look of someone who had lived in the woods for a very long time. The elven councilor arched an eyebrow at the appearance of such an uncivilized member of his kind, but otherwise ignored the new arrival and focused on the “conversation” at the table. This suited Tanthalas well as he quietly approached the bronze statue at the other end of the room. Though it had been close to a century since he had regularly been in the cities of the elves, he easily recognized the elven writing on the plaque, archaic as the grammar seemed. Peering closely he saw that the larger script at the top read “The Shield Against the Dark”. What was the Dark? Was this something about the times before? Tanthalas’ eyes scanned downwards and noticed a smaller elven script, a motto of some sort, or perhaps a promise.

The next arrival through the door also crossed the room to stand near Tanthalas and the large bronze statue. The mountain dwarf stood tall, or at least, as tall as dwarves can manage. Powerfully built, the dwarf was outfitted much like the soldier statues around the room. Had this been several thousand years ago, this would have been a normal sight in Lani. These days, however, it was almost unheard of to see a warrior in full armour. The two guards in Denn were probably the most armed individuals in this half of the land. The dwarves, though, have long memories in their culture and are slow to change so have kept many of the old traditions. Thegman had reason enough to have trained in these ancient ways, given his lineage, but that was a story he wasn’t readily sharing with others. Still, his appearance in Denn, dressed as he was, would have definitely marked him as a likely candidate for the “recruiters” in the Council of Nine. Glancing about the room, Thegman recognized some of the craftsmanship done in the room as being of dwarven origin, and the soldier statues in particular seemed like exact replicas of some of the ancient statues in the great halls of Nidavellir.

As Thegman admired the dwarven stonework, another dwarf walked through the door, this one also equipped for combat but she did not bear the same complexion as those that live under the mountain, her skin more exposed to the light of sun and the forge than Thegman. Brylla seemed quiet, keeping to the back of the room, the holy symbol of Sif hanging around her neck in the form of an amulet. She wasn’t entirely sure why she had been brought here, but based on her recent travels in this region she could tell that what was happening in Denn right now was extremely out of the ordinary. Perhaps with a little patience, she could discover more.

The next two arrivals that crossed the threshold of the council chamber could not have been a more extreme pairing. The young goliath was at least three times the height of the elderly-looking halfling before him. One of the barbarian’s legs was probably as large as the entire wizard’s body! Audak was forced to duck to enter the room due to the doorframe, but as he straightened to his full height it drew the attention of most in the room. It was very rare to see one of the Spine Mountain barbarians here in the city of Denn, even less so to see an individual of this stature fully armed and ready for combat. With the argument at the table paused briefly at this sight, the council lead took the opportunity to greet the guests.

The Fouling

“Welcome, brave adventurers! Thank you for coming,” began the woman, who introduced herself as Malvus. “I apologize for the lack of a proper welcome, but as you are certainly aware, a terrible odor has permeated the city. It seems that the water itself has turned to filth.”

Malvus is interrupted quite suddenly by the halfling wizard Flynver who, with no invitation, abruptly leapt upon the table and began tearing paper apart.

“We are very powerful and willing to help!” the wizard offered, as he demonstrated his magical abilities by restoring the torn paper to its original form.

The council was awed at this display. It was very unusual to see arcane magic displayed like this outside of the schools, and even more unusual to see it done on your table in front of you. While the council muttered amongst themselves, Malvus attempted to continue.

“Thank you, we will be glad of your help. The worst affected part of the city is Vale Garden, a place some of us ourselves call home.” Malvus explained, pulling out a rough map of the city and pointing towards an area of town which seemed to be more affluent based on the size of the buildings. “We believe something has happened there to cause this, though our own investigations have turned up nothing. We have sent two of our finest sanitation engineers to investigate, but have not heard back from them. We ask for your help and, in exchange, we can offer you 100 gold pieces.”

At this there are some loud shouts from the other council members. Apparently, this was the sticking point upon which they had all been so vehemently arguing. Banging on the table, Malvus called them back to order.

“We will be sending with you the Denn Guard.” Malvus gestured proudly to the two armoured guards who led you here. There was an obvious hint of pride that they had this to offer and with good reason. In Lani, most cities did not have a need for this. It was a sign of Denn’s heritage that any guards remained at all. Flynver had been recently at the library of Sif nearby and had been reading up on some of the history of the area. Denn had been known to have a large army in the past and had a prominent military history for several millenia, even from before the Lighting. This was such a part of the culture that these two still remained a part of the city thousands of years later and the generational lore of the area would have been heavily impacted by this.

Trying to recall the details, Flynver eyed the bronze statue at the other end of the room, remembering something about the Council of Nine. From what he had read, this council was supposed to have predated the Lighting and was meant as a regional protection force for the various peoples of the western region. Here they could gather, strategize, and defend this area of Lani from attacks. That certainly explained the war-like appearance of this council chamber.

Though it was not their reason for coming to Denn, all of the arrivals agreed to help the city and began to speak with various members of the council. Malvus did not have much additional information, other than what was shared, but reminded Thegman that they had narrowed it down to the Vale Garden as a likely first place to look. Councillors Jaina and Allan, an elderly married couple, were disagreeing over how long they had lived here in Denn and whether this was truly the worst crisis they had ever faced or not. The only helpful piece of information that Jaina offered was that there existed a sewer system in the different districts that processed and provided the clean water through various outlets in different neighbourhoods. The mustache-bearing councilor, who introduced himself as Krynth, approached Flynver and offered to outfit the group at his shop, providing the directions before he quietly slipped out of the council chamber.

It was time to start the investigation.

A curious shoppe

The two guards gestured towards the doors and ushered the would-be heroes down the hall and back into the foul air of the city. Taking the lead was a stout woman who introduced herself as Elara. She was quiet and spoke only when spoken to, keeping her arm over her face as they marched down the long winding path to Vale Garden. At the rear of their group was the grumpier version of Elara. Whereas Elara seemed aloof and focused, Kirz seemed to be trying to find the best way to find the worst mood to be in. They may not have wanted this assignment, but in a city where the need for guards was mostly ceremonial one would have thought that they would have relished this opportunity.

The meandering path back down the hills to the city below gave them a great view, but the enjoyment was curtailed by the assault on their senses. The closer they got to the streets the worse the smell was. On the way, the party followed the instructions and arrived before Krynth’s shop, taking the opportunity to get out of the foul air. As their squad entered through the doors, they were assaulted with a mix of different odours: the smell of leather and oil, but also the sweet scent of flowers, while somehow also the scent of too much wine. The shop must have been large based on the outside dimensions but it felt claustrophobic with so many shelving units leaning over them, overflowing with the myriad of strange supplies that the councilor had amassed. Everything from simple rope and towels to obscure room decorations and a candelabra, Krynth’s shop looked like what would happen if an explorer just picked up everything they came across and then hung it up in a room.

“What can I do for you, good folks?” asked Krynth with a smile, as if he had not invited them in the first place. “Take a look around, I can offer you what you need right now and you can pay me back from the funds the council provides you later, hmmm?” The group seemed unsure of what equipment they might need, but Flynver was intent on haggling Krynth down on the offer, trying to get something out of nothing. Krynth was having none of it, insisting that he had a shop to run, but was willing to concede something to help them.

Moving to a safe near the back of the shoppe, Krynth looked around suspiciously as he unlocked the door to it. From there he pulled out several vials and potion bottles with clear labels indicating their contents. Handing them out to the adventurers, Krynth explained the strange liquids.

“These are extremely rare, but I know a guy. One potion each that will heal your wounds, just in case. And one antitoxin vial, out of an extreme desire for caution. Don’t waste the antitoxin, it will only last an hour!”

Compared to the reward they were going to get from the council, this was a rather hefty investment in the party. Krynth was pulling no punches and clearly wanted Flynver and the others to succeed, at all costs. Well, perhaps not at ALL costs. Perhaps an adequate amount of costs. Just enough to still keep business flowing.

To the garden

With their side trip done, the guards continued leading them toward the center of the foul stench. As they arrived on the streets of Vale Garden the overpowering smell assaulted them. Both guards were prepared and had covered their faces with their arms, but none of the others had thought to take any precautions. Coughing and blinking their eyes, most of the group toughed it out but the goliath, Audak, nearly lost the contents of his stomach there in the street. Elara, still in the lead, pointed to a hill near the center of the neighbourhood and guided the group up and away from the stench. Kirz explained that the homes here belonged to Malvus and Krynth, from the council. The neighbourhood surrounding them was silent, with many homes locked up or shops with signs posting that they were closed indefinitely. Kirz and Elara began knocking on doors hoping to find somebody who could provide some information while the group attempted to track down a storm drain system.

The confirmation that they were on the right path arrived in the form of a flood of filth spilling out of the grates, sending most of the group leaping for raised ledges or tables or benches to get out of the way of the sewage. The two dwarves, though, stood their ground, facing down the sludge and managing to keep their stomachs.

When the filth-ridden waters subsided a little, it did not take long for the barbarian to find a large, steel, manhole cover marking the worker entrance to the sewer system. With Thegman’s aid, Audak lifted up the heavy slab and tossed it to the side, glancing down into the darkness below. Barely lit by the sunlight, but definitely within reach, was an old steel ladder leading down to a stone landing. Lighting a torch, Audak reached into the hole, holding his head back in case of a blowback, but nothing happened other than some flickering of the flame. Luckily, whatever carried the stench wasn’t flammable!

Looking around to the others, Audak knew it was time to make a decision. With a quick nod, he took the first steps onto the rungs below and began descending into a completely black abyss, his torchlight pushing back the darkness in the tunnels below. One by one, the others followed after, with the Denn Guard taking up the rear. Elara, the last to enter, pondered her first step onto the ladder, wondering how she’d gotten herself into this, and then climbed down.

Into the sewers

Audak’s eyes scanned across the stone tunnel work around him, waving the torch back and forth to get an idea of the layout. The sound of rushing water filled his ears as he stepped forward to shine the light down the tunnel. The fast-moving river of filth ran down the middle of a rather wide tunnel, with a solid stone pathway running along the walls on either side of it. The darkness of the tunnel stretched far ahead to the south, far beyond what the flickering torch light could illuminate. Behind him, the others climbed down the ladder, spreading out to prepare to advance.

Reaching down with the handle of his weapon, Audak tested the water. The strong current pushed against him and he could feel no bottom. The water was deep and would not be a fun place to take a swim. Especially for those wearing heavy armour.

A small stone bridge linked the two sides near the ladder, allowing Thegman to cross over and investigate. His eyes, used to the pure dark of the undermountain, could see beyond what the torchlight touched upon. Some form of debris seemed to be blocking the way on the path in front of Audak. A soft, scurrying noise could be heard in the dark, just outside the reach of the flickering flame. Tanthalas’ keen elven senses picked up a motion of small bodies by the debris pile, some of them slipping down into the rushing water in a writhing mass.

Rats. Big ones.

It was at this moment that all the training and apprenticeships they had each done over the years would have to pay off. Thegman and Audak took a defensive position on each side of the water, hoping to hold back the creatures coming at the group. The sound of Tanthalas’ bow string echoed off the walls of the tunnel as an arrow fired aimlessly into the dark, lost somewhere to the rushing water. At that moment the scurrying mass of hungry teeth in the dark was upon them, chittering mouths and gnashing teeth sounding in their ears. Audak and Thegman swung wildly, connecting and sending rat bodies everywhere, but they just kept coming. The small squirming bodies advanced upon Thegman, crawling all over his lower body, attempting to take down the dwarven warrior with sheer numbers. Flynver’s magic grasped the swarm in a chill touch, thinning it out, while Brylla attempted her best to engage without harming Thegman, but there were simply too many of them!

Near the ladder, the Denn Guard were temporarily frozen in fear at the sight of the small rodents streaming towards the torch light. That freeze was short-lived, though, as they both fled in terror from the sea of red eyes, clambering back up the ladder to the safety of the light above. So much for the “Shield Against the Dark”.

With the swarm shrinking in numbers with each strike, Tanthalas attempted to redeem himself but this time he buried his shot in Audak’s back, causing Audak to throw him a look of surprise and disappointment. With a grimace, Audak shook off the pain and channeled his anger into the enormous rat before him, beheading the creature with a single massive blow.

With the sound of the squeaking mouths rushing for his face, Thegman pushed his way out of the swarm, swinging his great axe through the mass of teeth and tails. Small rodent corpses flew across the tunnel, splashing into the foul water before being swept away with the current. A few scratches had been made to his armour, but otherwise the dwarf was unscathed. Eyes darting back and forth, the group looked for signs of any more critters, but only the sound of rushing water could now be heard.

Moving slowly ahead to scout, Tanthalas rounded a bend in the tunnels and paused, waving the others forward. The path ahead seemed to weave back and forth across the water, avoiding built-up mounds of dirt and stone that had been piled against the walls. The party crossed back and forth across the water as they made their way through the encroaching darkness, the flame in Audak’s hand giving at least some light to those without such keen eyesight as the elves and dwarves. Soon, the flame lit upon a large metal door.

The construction of it was definitely for industrial purposes, made thick with heavy steel. Audak tested the handle but found it locked, unable to budge it. Peering through the keyhole, Tanthalas saw a glimpse of some sort of heavy fog obscuring his vision, but the hole was too small to get a good grasp of what was on the other side. Looking around, the group tried to find some sort of tool to unlock the door, but there was no obvious solution to be found. As the fire in Audak’s hand swept back and forth, illuminating different parts of the pathway, it was Tanthalas who noticed something.

In the shadows, well past the reach of the light, was a shape stretched upon the ground. The elf could barely make it out at this distance, but the prone figure lay there, not moving. Was it a trap? Was someone in need? Why would they not have a light down here?

Brylla readied herself as she noticed Tanthalas’ focus. What now? It was time to investigate.

Credits

• Writing credit: Inspiration taken from session notes by Matthew Moran.
• Adventure story: Inspired by “Something is rotten in the City-state of Dennmarsh”, a free 5e adventure by Adventures Await Studios
• Cover image: The City of Denn, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Council of Nine images: Character portraits generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Shop image: “Krynth’s shoppe”, generated by Jason St-Cyr using NightCafe
• Sewer image: “Ratkin” by Faba (Eva Vonhoff). Sourced from Pinterest: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ae/7f/3d/ae7f3de97df2fe68d87258c765773d95.jpg