Rats, Ravens, and Rituals. (5E) {IC}

[MaltholLoth]

Taps his forehead and bows low. "Thank you. Ever the blessings are welcome, may Este keep you well rested."

[Archemist]

He leads you down a set of stairs, through a short corridor and out into the main hall of a temple. Light comes in from a massive stained glass window at the end of the temple. Several candelabras hang over the rows of seats to provide some additional lighting. Another mouse, his fur grey from old age, walks toward you from near the entrance with the aid of a cane. Candlelight reflects off of his spectacles as he slowly walks toward you. He is dressed in the robes of a man of the faith, a symbol of Torm hanging on a chain.

"Ah. Glad to see you awake. Torm's blessings on you as you attempt to unravel what has been done to you."

"Torm, eh? Do the mice know all the gods the bigfolk do? Is this a temple for mice, or do bigger folk use it too?" Jillie peers around, curious whether the high ceilings would be high enough for her to fit at her normal size.

If it's mostly mouse-sized pews, she'll also see if she can tell whether the candelabras and such are special-made by mouse artisans or co-opted from bigfolk items (needles, birthday candles, tinderboxes, etc).

[Lentrax]

Everything is crafted for mousefolk. None of it looks to be co-opted or reused materials. And you wouldn't be able to fit yourself in there. Not even if you curled up into the smallest ball you can and tried to tuck yourself inside, you feel like you would still press against the walls enough to destroy the place.

"Oh, no," the priest says. "The bigfolk know nothing of us. That is part of the magic that made us. We aren't supposed to reveal ourselves to the bigfolk."

[agignac]

The golden-skinned eladrin nodded with appreciation. "I applaud your cunning. I have been living among and speaking to various animal communities for decades now, and have never heard so much as a whisper about your folk. Are there communities in other places as well, or do you only live here?"

[Ridai]

Secret Boot nods sagely in response to the priest's blessings and explanation of their hidden society, followed by a thumbs up for the well-wishes, the appropriate wizardly reaction to such blessings because Boot of course, naturally knows what a Torm or Este are, whereas cat standard procedures suggest not letting on that he didn't know there was a secret mousefolk society.

"Does Torm know the way to the princess?" he asks the priest, Boot's short-term memory already having hit itself in new-things-encountering confusion and replaced the name Thom with Torm.

[Lentrax]

The priest leans on his cane.

“None who have ever ventured beyond the castle walls has ever returned to tell us if there are more. Personally, I do not believe there are because of the magic. But as I have often found in my life, there are more things in the world than are dreamt of by my philosophy.”

He pushes himself back up and starts walking away. “I wish you all the best of luck. Your path, I am sure is not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is, no?”

[Ridai]

As the priest walks away, Secret Boot looks around, before whispering to his companions "Wh-where is Torm?"

[MaltholLoth]

Pats Secret Boots on the back "Torm is a god, do you want to meet them...? As I'd rather you were here to help. I guess if we only get guided as far as the cloister is better than nothing. So are we all in? I'm keen to get underway while we all feel brave." he says looking around at all the faces and any mouse that happens to pay attention to him.

[Ridai]

Secret Boot's eyes grow very big indeed when he is informed Torm is a god. "Our guide is that good?!"

[agignac]

Lele Lele smiled at the confused cat. "Torm is one of the many gods. Our guide is Thom."

She turns to Tindurian and says, "I agree. Let us put miles under our feet before we lose the day." She frowned, remembering their diminutive size. "Or at least, many yards."

[Lentrax]

"Right then," the gruff mouse says. He leads you out of the temple. As you step outside the door, you are greeted by what would look like a fairly cosmopolitan street. Everything is stone lined, from the street itself, to the buildings opposite you.

But as you stop and actually look at your surroundings, it becomes obvious that everything was worked out of stones. In point of fact, it is the stones that the castle is built out of. Everything has been carved and worked out of the castle's own stones. Wooden structures rise up the sides, providing what appears to be shade, with canopies strung up on them across windows and patios. As you look you see that the street is well illuminated by the sun as it shines in through the crack between the two blocks that comprise this street.

And there are many more mousefolk out here. Most of them are dressed simply, like many of the "bigfolk" that you saw in the castle courtyard. Children run through the street, and into and out of the edifices carved into the sides of the street. Every so often, you see a side passage leading off further into the city, and you quickly realize that these junctions are where the apparently massive stone blocks that the castle is made of are what provides the neat and orderly instersections.

At the second such intersection, your guide turns and heads down one of these intersections, and it gets noticeably darker. "This way."

[Ridai]

"Ohhh," goes Secret Boot as Thom's name is once again revealed and undeitified.

Following said non-god-but-still-surely-very-good guide, Boot cranes his neck, staring up at the colossal blocks of rock rising up beside them, and all the city carved out of the sides. So he walks constantly looking up, one paw holding his magnificent hat in place, brain furiously trying to remember if the castle's people were giants and he never noticed, and how small he really is, or how big the blocks were and still are unless the castle also got bigger! and-

There is a faint bit of mrowing coming from the small cat, getting dizzy from the scale and calculations, beginning to follow Thom in a somewhat serpentine path.

[Archemist]

Also looking up and distracted by the castle structure, Jillie the gnome absentmindedly reaches down to scritch Secret Boots between the ears. "There there kitty, we'll get to the top somehow." With a start, she realizes suddenly that she was scratching a sentient thing without its permission and retreats to the back of the group sheepishly. She likes animals, but too many of the ones around here are actually people.

She half regrets that if she gets bigger again it'd be more difficult to study the mousefolk culture and artifacts. It feels like being let in on a secret that no one else would ever believe.

[agignac]

Lele looks around in awe. It is easy to forget to be furious when surrounded by such wonders. I wonder if there are places like this in the forest, too? Whole civilizations within the roots of a tree, or among the stones on the creekside?

Hurrying forward to catch up with their guide, she asks, "Do your people keep your history? Do you know how long this city has stood here?" She made a mental note to return when the wizard had been killed - if she was transformed into an insect, she could easily visit these wonderful people and learn more about them.

[Lentrax]

"Long time," the guide replies. "Longer than any of us. Even the elders, and they're five. Erryn is pushing six, but she's fallen ill. Don't know if she'll make it to winter, this rate."

He leads you another intersection and takes the street leading further away from the light. The light this far back has faded to about a level of darkness you would associate with just after sundown. Not fully dark, but not light enough to see clearly (assuming you don't have darkvision, that is.)

After another minute, you find yourself outside of a massive wooden structure. With the reminder of the change in scale, you surmise it to be a wooden bracing pillar between two seams of stone.

But here, in Cloister, its just another building material. And It has been turned into what looks like a tavern. It even has a sign outside, proclaiming the tavern to be "The Nasty Rabbit."

"Ere you are. Thom's place. Good luck."

And the gruff mouse turns to leave.

[Ridai]

Secret Boot purrs when Jillie reaches under his hat and goes in for scritches, aw yeeeaaah! But it is over as quickly as it started, leaving the little cat confused and having to adjust his hat.

Well five or six is still pretty good for how small mousefolk are! Some cats can reach the venerable age of twelve, or even eighteen! But they are bigger, so that seems perfectly understandable, there is more space to stuff more life into, that's why you grow up after all!

...Wait. But Boot is very small now. Smaller than the mousefolk or Jillie. That means... that means!!!

Secret Boot mrows as the gruff mouse who isn't actually Torm Thom but still is a good guide leaves (Boot is nice and gives a wobbly "Thank you"), holding his own head with his paws, looking a little wobbly. He can already feel old age approaching. "Oh no, when is my birthday, I need to find Mum before then!" So little life left already and he isn't even done growing yet! Oh what a world!

Boot staggers to the door, hoping he will still have the strength to open it by the time he reaches it.

[MaltholLoth]

"Sorry, one last thing. Thom, is he the owner of this... Establishment or might we find him this side of the bar?" he days with a knowing smile on his face.

[Lentrax]

"Sorry, one last thing. Thom, is he the owner of this... Establishment or might we find him this side of the bar?" he days with a knowing smile on his face.

"Heh," he chuckles. "Don't worry about Thom. You'll know him when you see 'im."

Secret Boot purrs when Jillie reaches under his hat and goes in for scritches, aw yeeeaaah! But it is over as quickly as it started, leaving the little cat confused and having to adjust his hat.

Well five or six is still pretty good for how small mousefolk are! Some cats can reach the venerable age of twelve, or even eighteen! But they are bigger, so that seems perfectly understandable, there is more space to stuff more life into, that's why you grow up after all!

...Wait. But Boot is very small now. Smaller than the mousefolk or Jillie. That means... that means!!!

Secret Boot mrows as the gruff mouse who isn't actually Torm Thom but still is a good guide leaves (Boot is nice and gives a wobbly "Thank you"), holding his own head with his paws, looking a little wobbly. He can already feel old age approaching. "Oh no, when is my birthday, I need to find Mum before then!" So little life left already and he isn't even done growing yet! Oh what a world!

Boot staggers to the door, hoping he will still have the strength to open it by the time he reaches it.

Boot does indeed have the strength. He opens the door, and there is a moment where the mousefolk in side the bar have a momet of shock and fear while they process the appearance of the cat.

But then they realize the cat is the same size as them, and go back to their drinks.

The person behind the bar is an older mouse, fur starting to grey.

Actually, as you look around, you realize this could just be a tavern anywhere. Patrons at tables, barmaids in dresses carrying trays full of mugs and platters of food. There is even one mouse in the corner playing a lute.

A serving maid comes up to you and gives you a smile. "Hello! I think there is a table available over there." She points toward the rear corner that doesn't have a musician playing in it.

But you notice that there is no one that really stands out, as your guide said you would notice.

[MaltholLoth]

"Well we were going to speak to Thom if about? We can sit there for a bit if needs be but we should really be on our way." he says, thinking he should have still ordered a drink. Thirsty work seeing so the mouse world.

[Ridai]

Rapidly aging Secret Boot taps paws self-consciously as the proverbial record scratch happens, and while people seem to soon calm down, the taps continue for a while.

"Y-yeah," Boot tries to underline his companion's words (tap tap), though already half-turning towards the table to maybe sit down and preserve what youthful strength he still has left for the quest.

Well...

"D-do you have milk?" He is going to need so much milk to keep his bones from becoming brittle. Tap tap.

[Lentrax]

"He should be back soon. Why don't you go sit down for a moment and I will go get you a round of drinks for while you wait."

The serving maid looks at Boot. "I'm not sure. I can go check for you, if you'd like?"

[Ridai]

"That would be nice, thank you," Secret Boot meeps back as he plops himself down on a chair. Tap tap.

[MaltholLoth]

"Thank you. A small cider if possible please?" he wasn't sure what kind of measures they have down in the mouse world. A thimble may be rather greedy. He then takes a seat at the table. "Boots, I have to say, you seem rather proud of your thumbs. Might I recommend that you ask for a nice cup to provide further use of it. Work on that grip action".

[Ridai]

Secret Boot perks up at that. "Oh, yeah!" He sticks out his paws, with their pink beans and mighty thumbs. "A cup, please! No, wait, a mug!" Because somehow, a mug must be a mightier achievement than a cup. He underlines this with a thumb wiggle. He looks to Jillie and Lele, wondering what they might order. Might they be able to best a mug, too? Perhaps even two at the same time?!

[agignac]

Lele Lele looks around at the tiny tavern and grins. This is the reason coming into town is fun sometimes. "Surely we have time for a drink or two." To the serving-mouse, she says, "Something strong, whatever you or your barkeep recommends." Turning to the cat, she says, "Surely you can enjoy something stronger than milk? Or are you too young among your people?" Lele doesn't have much use for official drinking ages, but she knows that among many species, it is harmful for the youth to partake.

[Ridai]

"There is stronger milk?" Secret Boot asks as secrets are revealed to him.

[agignac]

The eladrin misunderstood for a moment. "Some people enjoy fermented mare's milk, but I would be surprised if the mouse-folk had any. More often, various fruits or grains are fermented into alcohol. Though fermented honey is also delicious and can pack a wallop."

Looking more carefully at Boots, she said, "You are unusual for catfolk, are you not? Aside from being smaller than most, which can be said of all of us. Where are you from?"

[Ridai]

Confusion begins to show on Boot's face. "F-furmented mil-" He falls silent, as epiphany hits, followed by an expression like his archenemy was just brought up. Not that this looked very intense due to Secret Boot's face, despite his intentions, ending up as the halfway-house between peeved and miffed.

"Cheese." His eyes narrow as he draws the word out. "I don't drink cheese. It has attacked me before. Always need to watch out." He investigates the place in what he thinks are subtle glances from beneath his magnificent floppy wizard hat, checking if there are any slices of cheese stalking the tavern. Boot even lifts some of his very wizardly cloak over his nose to be extra stealthy.

"I'm from the big folk place near the castle. Mum took me in as a wee kitten," said the not really fully grown, and most definitely not as mature as Boot might think cat, words muffled through the cloak as he peers with his wizardly sight.

[Lentrax]

While there is cheese on several tables around the tavern, none of it seems to be looking in the direction of Boot. Still, caution may be appropriate.

A few minutes later, and the serving girl returns, setting a few mugs down in front of you.

“Here you are, loves. A round of drinks, for all of you.”

She straightens up, and then, holding her tray in her clasped hands in front of her, smiles down at you all.

“And I was told to inform you that Thom is late. He was supposed to be back this morning, but apparently has not arrived yet.”

She looks around the tavern to see if there was anyone who needed anything, and then turns her attention back to all of you.

“Is there anything else I can get you? Food?”

[Ridai]

Surrounded by enemies, Secret Boot gives one final secret warning squint at the cheeses.

"Thank you," Secret Boot meeps before he faces the challenge of The Mug. Armed with his tiny thumbs, one paw goes to the grip, then after some deliberation the other goes as well. Gears are turning, reposition the other paw to the side, and liiift with slightly shaky arms. For a while, Boot disappears behind The Mug, but there are sounds of... licking the milk from the inclined beverage container, because how else are you supposed to drink from The Mug, let's be real here!

When the news of Thom not being back are shared, Boot emerges from behind The Mug, with a generous wizardly milk beard. "Where did he go?" Not too loud though, the cheeses might be listening.

Plus, food: "A-anything but cheese, please."