Death Haven "Choose A Path" Adventure Log to Date (Patreon)

I want to take this opportunity to share with you all what the Death Haven "Choose A Path" Adventures are! This is very exciting because next year we will be launching a Death Haven campaign/setting book to detail the world and all of the creatures that you've been getting through the Death Haven patreon! They will all have stats and come to life on your gaming table!

Choose A Path adventures let YOU choose which way the stories go in the world of Death Haven and help us to flush out the environment and mechanics of the world. You all play a huge part in bringing Death Haven to life and when we launch the Kickstarter it will be even more exciting!

With that said...we now have a tier here in the MM patreon called "Death Dealer." This tier is an exceptional value and adds amazing miniatures to your monthly collection. In addition to the miniatures, patrons who pledge to the Death Dealer Tier, the Printing Partners Deluxe Tier, and of course, the Death Haven Patreon, get the opportunity to vote in the adventures to help shape the world! We are looking forward to seeing what you guys choose and how it goes now that we have so many more people in the Death Dealer tier to vote!

This is the only time I will be posting anything about the adventures to the public or to any tier outside of the ones listed above. This is a sample so you can see what it's all about and you can decide if you'd like to join us! It's a lot of fun and (like I said) we hope it really explodes when the Kickstarter comes out in 2020! 

*these are the excerpts since the beginning of the DH patreon. The numbers at the ends of
 the options are the number of votes for each choice. 

*photos above are some of our models painted by some of our wonderfully talented
 patrons!

Enjoy! 

The Lost Expedition  

LOST EXPEDITION:  

An expedition had left the settlement some time ago, out to learn more of this world's nature, searching for valuable resources and safer lands. Occasionally they would send back teams to report on their situation and any findings they may have come up with, but the updates have stopped, now we're left empty-handed and fewer in number. Their last report mentioned a distant clearing, somewhere possibly safe and void of any obvious predators.  

A few small scout teams are all that can be spared to locate the expedition and hopefully bring them back, or at least to salvage something useful from this endeavor. To start, we must choose a route towards their last known location.  

Option ONE:  Traverse the skull valley.  

Quick but certainly the most dangerous route, making a direct bee-line across the valley of skulls not far from the settlement. A mostly wide open area where threats could be seen from afar but with seldom places to hide and home to the most vicious creatures ever seen. 

Option TWO:  Brave the blood canyon.  

Deep rock canyons of red have turned the water within it the same color, creating channels of bloody streams. Mostly smaller creatures inhabit the passages and cervices of the inner canyon but they can easily ambush unsuspecting visitors.  

Option THREE:  Enter the death weald.  

The outskirts are covered in heavy vegetation, most of which will try to poison or even devour ignorant trespassers. Many larger predatory creatures stray away from the deep overgrowth which we can take as an advantage or a warning sign.  

Option FOUR:  Split the scout teams through a mix of locations.  

A risky maneuver to bode our chances early on in greater hopes of at least one team making it through the voyage  

Option ONE: Traverse the skull valley          13 

Option TWO: Brave the blood canyon         29 

Option THREE: Enter the death weald         14 

Option FOUR: Split the scout teams             4 

Lost Expedition, Part 2 

Down into the labyrinth in the maze of passageways and tunnels. There is both a sense of dread for the unknown, as well as an assurance they will not run into the more infamous beasts down here. Most of the time is spent avoiding chasms, falling rocks, and strange spidery creatures occasionally creeping from out of the walls. Path after path, tunnel after tunnel, it was only a matter of time before one of the scouts becomes lost from the main teams, as suddenly they are dragged under a crimson river. Panic and horror overcomes as the scouts flee for their lives. Many others are also forced back into the water by veiny tentacles surfacing from the deep of the river, luckily they escape, although not without harm. Once the rest finally regroup outside the canyon, they inspect the wounded. Large gashes in the flesh, eaten away by razor sharp teeth, and perforations around the wound from piercing appendages.  

One dead and a few wounded, but past the canyon and close to the expedition. Although grim, this should be considered a success and a lesson learned, especially should the people need to use this route again. Now that the red sun sets and darkness begins to take the land, the scouts set up camp for the night, determining they will be safe enough here to rest briefly.   

Choose Your Path! 

Option 1: Camp by bonfire.  

A common practice, large bonfires can ward off annoying pests and provide warmth. Fire seems to be a deterrent to many things in this world, but can double as an attraction for the more sinister creatures. Not to mention, they must take the risk of venturing out for firewood.  

Option 2: Rest in the trees.  

With the experience the scouts have had dealing with and observing the many predatory denizens of the lands, specialty equipment has been made to camp in the trees, safe from quite a lot of creatures. It will not be a comfortable sleep, and it will take some time, but it's likely a safe bet.  

Option 3: Sleep in the darkness.  

Quickly find somewhere quiet and forested to set up a bare essentials camp, where the scouts sleep in silence, and remain hidden by the dark of night. Foregoing any plans to search for particular campsites or collection of firewood may even mean more rest, just as long as all goes to plan.  

Option 4: Trek on through the night.  

Wounded, tired, and shaken from the horrors, the scouts still decide to continue their journey despite everything telling them not to. They can stop to catch their breath and affix quick wound care, but for the most part, they'll still be trading rest for an exhausting excursion through the camouflage of night.  

Option 1: Camp by bonfire.                  16 

Option 2: Rest in the trees.                   23 

Option 3: Sleep in the darkness.           1 

Option 4: Trek on through the night.   3 

Lost Expedition, Part 3 (Vote by 5/23) 

Climbing to the highest but strongest of the branches, the scouting teams set-up a camp of tree tents, out of reach and out of sight. Surely a safe move, for all through the night they see the silhouettes of monstrous beings hungrily searching below. The following uncomfortable hours are spent anxiously awaiting for night to pass, sleeplessly for many, drenched in nightmares for others. Although nothing had been seen or heard within the treetops the entire duration, there had been a mysterious scent growing more intense as time went on. Awakening with a shared astonishment, the scouts can barely believe nothing had transpired during the night, though a clear examination in the red daylight confirms they slept in no ordinary tree. Before them stands a towering trunk of bulbous outgrowths, with pores leaking a thick odorous sap. Perhaps a natural deterrent or extremely fortunate coincidence.  

Through the bulk of the woods and from atop a hill, they finally see what must be the same clearing described by expedition reports. An ocean of lowlands surrounded by walls of the highest mountains, but strangest of all is a massive plateau standing within the center, bordered by a small forest. The only sign of activity, a wide path of dried blood trailing off from the distance and straight into the forest by the plateau. What to do...  

Option 1. Climb the plateau.  

Choosing to navigate around and avoid the blood trail, the scouts cut through the forest and ascend the plateau. Somewhere in the vegetation at the top, there could very well be a chance of finding the expedition, but still leaves the question of why they would have remained.  

Option 2. Follow the blood trail.  

A suspicious amount of blood, but the only lead to go on. Maybe the expedition was hunting and they were also following the trail from their wounded prey, or worse yet, what if the blood is from the expedition? Tread cautiously, as there really is no certainty in these lands.  

Option 3. Report back to the settlement.  

After everything they've done, the path laid out, and the area found, perhaps it's time to stop while they're ahead. The scouts can report back with the information, hoping the settlement builds enough of a force to return and finish what was started here, but the expedition will likely remain forever lost.  

Option 4. Wait and create a signal fire.  

Without immediately delving into unknown lands, the scouts may be able to wait and observe at a distance. Creating a signal fire will take some time and could possibly get the attention of anyone alive. This appears safe enough from where they are, but time may be a dire factor if the expedition is at risk.  

Option 1. Climb the plateau.                           8 

Option 2. Follow the blood trail.                    29 

Option 3. Report back to the settlement.      0 

Option 4. Wait and create a signal fire.          2 

LOST EXPEDITION, PART 4: 

As the scouts draw closer to the blood trail, they see it is nearly as wide as a man is tall. Even as the red sun grows to its fullest intensity, it cannot rival the hue of the dried sanguine path before them, highlighted in various shreds of viscera. The quiet stillness of the vale is broken once they reach the encircling forest, where they recognize the familiar stinging scent of a certain tree sap, as well as the unmistakable sound of a bestial feast. Sprawled out amongst a group of bodies stands the most unnatural abomination they have yet laid eyes upon. A writhing mound of flesh, lined with various maws and limbs contorting in erratic spasms, while just ever so vaguely suggesting something of a human semblance. 

Then, before the opportunity of surprise could see use, the previous cries and sobs of living expeditionists stop to call towards the scouts, in a plea for help. It looks as if the monster had cornered the expedition here and attacked, with the few fortunate surviving members clinging to the side of the plateau walls. Its attention quickly focuses onto the group and charges forward with a hateful wail, leaving another fresh streak of blood from where it left. Many get into position to strike or dodge out of the way, sidestepping to slash deep into the creature. It rears its arms back and knocks away the attackers with ease, then grabs another few to immediately crush their bodies into a pulp with its jaws. A duo of scouts taunt the thing to follow them as they sprint to a vantage point, hoping to reach one of the bulbous sap trees in time. Ravenous with insatiable hunger and mindless rage, the fiend gives chase, while the remaining team rains an onslaught of vengeance. A barrage of knives, axes, arrows, and fury all strike the monstrosity as it slams into the tree. Stuck fast to the clinging resin around the trunk and clawing at those above, it is caught off guard as they leap from the branches and slice down with their momentum, its sides spilling a final wave of gore out onto the earth, defeated. 

The survivors mournfully gather around, broken and bloodied from everything that has led to this bittersweet moment. They help the rest of the expedition as they climb down from the plateau, who thank them for their rescue, and inform them of their own adventures. They had discovered this place some time ago, and had it not been for leading this horror back here, they would have moved out to give the final report of the area. Now with their routes mapped out and newfound knowledge of the land, a great migration will soon take place, where a new defensible sanctuary may form here, and give the settlers a better fighting chance. 

THE UNDER-HORDES, PART 1: 

Officially founded as High Sanctum, the new land silently awaits it's people. As the migrations begin, so do the dreams of safety grow, in both the hearts and minds of each desperate settler. With the previous routes now completely charted, crews of builders have designed bridges and hideaways along sections of the Blood Canyon, allowing safer travel. Accumulative knowledge of the world around them has helped to safeguard further expeditions. Even their nerves have begun to be steeled against the horrors they continually face. Call it ignorant optimism; for as innocent as they may be, the settlers should not find surprise in the disaster that lie in wait. 

In the midst of their transitions to High Sanctum, a series of quakes deep below the ground gives way to a great scarring of the land. Once familiar terrain is now laden with earthly wounds, where topography has shifted and underground tunnels pour forth a tide of unnerving creatures. So marks the incursion of the Cave Ferals. These tunneling cave dwellers terrorize any and all who wander too close to their new homes, including the poor souls journeying to High Sanctum. The occurrence could not have happened at a worse time, so quickly the council elders gather, ready to decide a plan of action. 

POLL: 

Option 1: Find other routes. 

Perhaps the safest way to solve the problem is to avoid it entirely. This would mean a tragic loss in progress towards solidifying safe means of traveling across the land, but steering clear of the dangers in provoking the troglodytes. 

Option 2: Fight them head-on. 

Attempt to suppress the ferals by bringing the fight to them directly. By observing from afar and studying through smaller skirmishes, the warriors may be capable of picking off their numbers and preparing for a larger scale battle to drive them out. 

Option 3: Look to the engineers. 

The more ingenious folk could possibly lend a creative hand in defeating the invaders. Strange materials, experimental techniques, and inventive designs race through the minds of the engineers. Though this may potentially lead to destructive mishaps, it could even pave the way for future technology. 

Option 1: Find other routes.           2 

Option 2: Fight them head-on.       11 

Option 3: Look to the engineers.   28 

THE UNDER-HORDES, PART 2: 

Curious as to what schemes the engineers may have planned, the council reach a nearly unanimous decision to summon them. Before a conversation even begins, a group of scouts rush in with an announcement, declaring the new presence of Swarmers in the south. A large horde of these creatures must have been awakened from underground, due to the disturbance caused by the recent Cave Feral incursion. Being the quick, numerous, and deadly monsters that they are, means all the more danger when traversing the outskirts. Although such news disrupts the plans of many engineers, it inspires others, and soon they bring word to the council. A common enemy, even nemesis of the Cave Feral, is the Swarmer. As such, a plan is proposed to lure these two legions together, possibly killing each other outright. Most of the engineers suggest further development of an experimental black powder, a substance they would try to implement as an explosive device. With the bombs created, all that would be needed is a suicide team to traverse the tunnels and line the interior with them, but this would require sacrificing capable warriors. A last minute idea is brought to attention by a few builders assigned to High Sanctum, where they were in the process of constructing aqueducts. They theorize the tunnel system could be flooded with a nearby elevated section of the Blood Canyon, by rigging a series of piping directed to an opening.  

Whatever the council decides to go through with, they must decide carefully. Now with the Swarmers emerging, that puts a threat in front of us and close behind, soon to be in the middle of an all-out war.  

POLL:  

Option 1: Lure the Swarmers.  

The newly awakened Swarmers could be exploited in destroying the ferals and themselves. By coordinating groups to roundup and distract the Swarmers, along with some specialty made Cave Feral scent lure, we can attempt to lead them straight into the den. There is of course, the possibility of human error, where they could start attacking our own settlements if not careful.  

Option 2: Collapse the tunnels.  

A suicide demolitions team could mean the abrupt end to the Cave Ferals outside of High Sanctum. The discovery and experimentation of black powder could lead to a sure-fire means of completely destroying the tunnels, with the engineers excited for a live testing of this magnitude. Just hope the volunteers for such a mission are willing to make the sacrifice, but also capable enough to accomplish the mission.  

Option 3: Drown them out.  

Flood the tunnels with blood using teams of escorted builders to create an aqueduct of foul invention. A prime situation to test the architectural design of our builders, they will create sections that will be assembled together piece by piece, serving as a waterway from the canyon. With the help of black powder, there will be a controlled demolition to open the canyon walls like a cracked dam, and pour out to engulf the ferals. Just pray the volume needed to drown them is not underestimated.  

Option 1: Lure the Swarmers.              11 

Option 2: Collapse the tunnels.            8 

Option 3: Drown them out.                  13 

THE UNDER-HORDES, PART 3: 

As the council elders ponder their options, reports continue to note the presence of Swarmers around areas closer towards the settlement. They should be mindful of this threat with whatever way they follow. In the end, they reach a decision, and that is to drown the Cave Ferals in their own tunnels. Over a short but carefully planned duration of time, the engineers have coordinated with warrior guards to establish a waterway, extending from the Blood Canyon down to a chasm connected to the feral caverns. During the assembly of the aqueduct, scouts survey the land for danger and opportunity, only to bring further sightings of Swarmers. Their presence increases rapidly throughout this time, killing off the smaller prey creatures of the area and unnerving the workflow.  

Amidst the dawn of the final day, there's an ominously quiet presence as the demolition crew rigs the canyon wall for destruction. Peering at them from on high, stands numerous Watchers observing every movement, much to the disturbance of the settlers. The work is thrown into disarray once an ambush of Swarmers catch the warriors off guard. They try their best to no avail, as most are cut down by the creatures, and the situation prompts the remaining crewmen to make a rash decision. The detonation is made far too early, exploding the red rock in a cascade of rubble and blood water. The rush of red spouts forth and successfully funnels down the aqueduct, but the early initiation spells disaster for the last crew further down.  

Just as the builders notice the eruption from afar, they turn to see the monstrous maws of Cave Ferals already upon them. With the aqueduct incomplete, the stream ends short of the direct opening, and much of it flows out around the exterior. The crewmen spring into action to brace the unfinished segment, aligning it the best they can towards the chasm, all the while warriors fight back the hordes of beasts. Their sacrifice just narrowly saves the plan in time, for their very eyes confirm this once they see the blood begin to exit from out other tunnels. Surely starting to flood now, drowning the fiends below who try to crawl out, just to be swept back down to their demise. The heroes hold out for as long as they can, but they are eventually overrun by the groups of ferals still above ground. By this time, irreparable damage has been done to the colony below, their fortress flooded and likely swimming with nightmarish aquatic creatures. The settlers clean up the few surviving ferals in the aftermath, empowered by their victory, but suddenly an all too familiar subterranean quake occurs right underneath the settlement.  

Another eruption of earth and blood, this time from beneath, and caused by a towering hulk of a Cave Feral. Awakened by the retaliation of man, the Cave Feral Prime lashes out in a violent rage. To make matters worse, settlers stare in disbelief as a Watcher appears before one of the settlement gates, opening it to introduce a small legion of Swarmers to this foray. There is barely enough time to react.  

POLL:  

-Evacuate the defenseless.  

Let the majority of warriors fight the Prime while a detachment focuses on escorting out settlers. Amongst the slaughterous chaos within the settlement are many helpless people, everyone from the young to the old, to the wise and the skilled. Everyone has a purpose, but it is not always to fight. We must then hope the rest of the warriors would be enough to defeat the attackers.  

-Pursue the Watcher.  

Who knows where this thing may lead us. All that is known and seen of these beings is scarce but malevolent, yet nothing will stop their treachery until we know what they're doing or where they come from. Although it means sending crucial forces away from where they could help the settlers, it might also enlighten us to more of this world. Never has one been this close.  

-Fight as one.  

We stand our ground together. All settlement forces will put their lives on the line to fend off the Swarmers and kill the feral Prime, in hopes of finally achieving safe passage to High Sanctum. Without any warriors to escort the non-fighters out of harm's way, we take the risk in losing the defenseless, with the hope of sheer numbers to quicken the battle.  

Option 1: Evacuate the defenseless.       8 

Option 2: Pursue the Watcher.                8 

Option 3: Fight as one.                              21 

THE UNDER-HORDES, PART 4: 

As the Watcher escapes through a crowd of Swarmers, the rest of the warriors do not give chase, nor are the defenseless guided out to safety. Instead, those either able or feeble are indiscriminately rallied to battle by a call to arms. To combat such savagery is to become it yourself; forever marking this moment in history and forever shaping the culture of the settlers from here on out. The settlers hold back the tide of Swarmers while the warriors cut down the Prime feral. For every one settler lost to the invading under-hordes, three more Swarmers are matched, and ten more blows are struck to the Prime. Almost overwhelming by itself, the Prime feral would surely survive victorious over man, had it not been for the ingenuity that drowned its kin and had it not been for the Swarmer ambush, much less tragedy would have befallen this day. After the dust of war had settled, man evidently persists once more, no matter the hardship brought on by any evil. 

Casualties of the battle include the council elders, whose very meetinghouse was collapsed and desecrated during the initial emergence of the Cave Feral Prime. After depleting their stockpile of explosives, many of the engineers had fallen once their workshops were breached. Just under half of the settlement warriors were slain during combat as well. Of course the others of simpler professions: farmers, blacksmiths, apothecaries and such, had all stood their ground until they met the same fate. The aftermath of the great incursion had left the land scarred and flooded, littered with bodies both human and monstrous. The scent of blood, smoke, and sulfur will linger here ever more, and forever follow the surviving settlers, both now and for generations to come. 

Any semblance of another such event will await ages to come, for a great many days followed are of cautiousness and prosperity. Relocated and rebuilt, the settlers finally achieve safety in a land of savagery, atop the settlement of High Sanctum. Though the losses sustained will be felt fiercely, time will heal all wounds, at least for those who survive. 

A GLIMPSE INTO THE MERCENARY GUILD, PART 1: 

PBehold the framework of a new civilization; built upon stone and soil, through blood and bone. The unstoppable passage of time has brought unto us the beacon of hope that so many have longed for, and through time has so much been revealed. We know now that living in such a world has rendered us infertile. We no longer grow old, and our memories from before we awaken here are lost. Of course there is another revelation of this place; we are not alone. Occasionally scouts will report their findings of other gatherings of people, even some who are still alive. If we are to continue our survival successfully, we must keep an endlessly ongoing search for others.  

Though the outskirts of our settlements may forever hold beastly creatures and life within our walls presents a semblance of normality, it seems there will always be those who prefer such a dangerous life. We follow now the Sanctum Mercenary Guild; a gruff, strange, misfit group of hired adventurers. They have built quite a reputation for themselves from their early tight-knit days of small settlement work. Since then, their mercenary empire has formed a stranglehold on this profession to the point of people approaching them directly. Veterans collect all the jobs throughout town and train the aspiring mercenaries, while the recruits bid on the tasks presented to them, although no contract is complete until the guild tax is taken from the reward.  

The morning begins with eager initiates gathering around the guild keep, listening as each contract is read aloud. Local odd jobs are hesitantly taken by the inexperienced, while the bounty hunters bicker over the rewards for various criminal postings. Which job shall we undertake...  

POLL:  

-Search and rescue.  

Not many take on search and rescues, but not due to the danger. More often than not, the lost person is usually found dead, and these jobs pay much less in that case. However, it is certainly the honorable and lucrative outcome, should they be found.  

-Track missing caravan.  

Caravans have begun to trade across what little charted territory we know, much to the delight of certain predators. At minimum, the contract requires any surviving proof of the caravan's demise, and exponential rewards for surviving caravanners as well as their cargo.  

-Solve sewer mysteries.  

An intriguing government job taken from the town elders, sought by veteran and rookie alike. The town has been renovating the primitive sewer system, when suddenly workers haven't returned to the surface, and strange noises are heard from below. Rewards are based on whatever threat is discovered.  

-Investigate farm disturbances.  

Just within the immediate outskirts of town, a local farm has reported destruction of crops and half-eaten cattle. Not much else information is given about the job, other than that they will reward whoever stops the cause of these attacks.  

Option1: Search and rescue.                        9 

Option 2: Track missing caravan.                6 

Option 3: Solve sewer mysteries.               17 

Option 4: Investigate farm disturbances.   8 

A GLIMPSE INTO THE MERCENARY GUILD, PART 2: 

It is not long before most jobs are taken by various mercenary bands, each weighing the risk according to the pay, and many holding the value of gold above much else. Eventually we reach the bidding for the sewer job, its details relatively unknown, but potentially high reward. A duo of veteran mercenaries outbid the others interested and bring the news back to their pupils. Once they arrive at the main sewer entrance, the team is greeted by the company of idle workers, awaiting the call to safely continue their work. One of the workers approaches our team, explaining he volunteered to follow them as a guide throughout the sewers, should they lose their way. He also hopes to find a fellow worker below, one of few who never surfaced.  

Only a few are sent in at first to scout the area for later preparation: one of the veterans, another mercenary, and the guide. The others will remain topside, trying to find more information and exploring other sewer gateways. After quietly skulking through the unsettling brick-lined passages, one of the tunnels begins to fade back into dirt and muck, marking the end of the latest construction. It is here the surveying team finds something slumped against the dirt wall, but approaching the figure causes it to move unnaturally and fall to the ground, uttering not a word. It appears to be a man, but in a sudden grotesque show, three enormous rodents pour from out of his wounds and towards the mercenaries. They cut them down dead, just as such lays the remains of the eaten worker. The guide looks him over in horror, before the sounds of chittering hisses echo through the earthen corridors. At the end of a turn is a light to the outside, where we see a multitude of monstrous silhouettes clawing at each other in a frenzy, some of which appear as gigantic versions of the previous beastly rodents. Just then, down onto them pour another wave of rats. They hound them relentlessly, gnawing at what vulnerable flesh they can find, while the team does their best to remove the pests. They dash through the underground maze without looking back, wounded but fighting off the swarm, when finally they begin to tread the familiar bricked tunnels. Climbing back out into the town streets at last, the rest of our team leaps into action instinctively, but just as they're ready to stomp out the approaching rodent tide, the creatures retreat from the ambush of sunlight that so suddenly pierce their pale hides. The wounded are safely tended to as the team regroups and discusses the situation.  

The rats will be a problem as is, but there seemed to be another beast that had upset them. What could it be, why is it down there, and what should be done about it?  

POLL:  

-Lure it outside.  

Having someone trick the beast to be lured outside could isolate it, whilst eliminating the worry of rats. A designated runner will attempt to get the thing's attention out of the tunnels, unaware of the team's ambush. They just have to assume they will be capable of taking it down once it's out.  

-Set tunnel traps.  

By covering all the possible routes near the beast, it can be surrounded by traps and disposed of safely. This strategy could mean ensuring the entire team is out of harm's way, leaving the beast to trap itself, although they have to first traverse back into the tunnels and risk the rats disrupting the plan.  

-Collapse the tunnels.  

In traditional fashion, cause a cave in to kill most of the pests. Surely the town would not be very pleased with the destruction of their sewer tunnels, likely hurting the team's reputation for further jobs as well, but most definitely leaving a simple clean up job to kill off any remaining things that survive.  

Option 1: Lure it outside.                                 12 

Option 2: Set tunnel traps.                              14 

Option 3: Collapse the tunnels.                      4 

A GLIMPSE INTO THE MERCENARY GUILD, PART 3: 

The mercenaries prepare for another run through the tunnels, equipped with better armor and weapons to fit the situation, as well as a selection of traps to employ. A watch team camps by the outside tunnel to see if any of the larger beasts wander back out, while the trappers begin setting up in different routes to that tunnel. Everyone treads carefully, eyes peeled and ears listening intently, ready for another ambush in the dark.  

It is only within the first few minutes the trappers hear the struggles of an ensnared creature, before all of the traps are even set. To their surprise of what they had found, something they had not anticipated, they quickly leave to bring word to the others. A Den Mauler, and a cub no less. The young beast had fallen into their trap without them expecting. Everything about the situation had become clear at that point. One of the veterans gathers the team around and explains thatthe largest creature they had seen down there was no rat, but a mother Den Mauler, along with its new young. Once they bear children, the mother searches for shelter, which this one has unfortunately mistaken these Dreg Rat infested tunnels as a cave.  

The cub is clearly injured from the rats and fully subdued from the trap, posing no danger. The job can continue as planned, trapping what they can and killing them as they come, but there are other options. Much of the team is in agreement about the undesirable danger in staying in the tunnels, and thus an idea is brought to attention. If they can move the cub out of the sewers and into another cave, it might just lure the mother away as well. The more impatient members argue to kill the thing and be done with, to get back to work with the other things below. Then the more creatively vicious mercenaries suggest a disturbing thought; leave the cub trapped and crying, luring the mother into the tunnels, to be killed by the giant Dreg Rats and their swarm. Seeing as everyone's lives and rewards are on the line, they put it to a vote.  

POLL:  

-Lure the Den Maulers away.  

With a captured Den Mauler in tow, the men can lure the mother out to another cave. Although a few of the mercenaries will be left vulnerable as they carefully move the cub, the rest of the team will escort them out once a suitable cave is found around the town outskirts. This could lead to eliminating the threat of the Den Maulers completely and without bloodshed, allowing them to finish the Dreg Rats without complication.  

-Trap and finish them off.  

The men finish what they started, killing the beasts while they're incapacitated. The traps could potentially capture the larger beasts, such as the giant Dreg Rats, or even the mother Den Mauler herself. The danger of remaining within the confined sewer tunnels still persists, setting the mercenaries for further ambushes from anything not in their traps.  

-Leave the cub as bait.  

Keep the trapped cub to cry out, thus luring the mother deeper into the sewer. By the time it is far enough into the maze of tunnels, the mother will either be overwhelmed by the bulk of the rats or wounded enough for the mercenaries to swoop in. It is a cruel, ingenious plan.  

Option 1: Lure the Den Maulers away.              14 

Option 2: Trap and finish them off.                     3 

Option 3: Leave the cub as bait.                          7 

A GLIMPSE INTO THE MERCENARY GUILD, PART 4: 

Rather than try their time, awaiting each capture after another and continuously delving back into the wretched network of tunnels, the team decides to seize the opportunity presented before them. With a scouting team already on the move, the rest of the mercenaries attempt to carefully move the captured cub from out the corridors. Topside, the scouts find a sufficient hollowed out mountainside, seemingly devoid of any beings which may pose a threat, and thus marks the time to signal the others.  

Meanwhile below, the handlers finally manage to bring out the cub into the light of day. As they back out of the tunnels, sunlight engulfs the biting vermin, signaling a retreat back to their unrightful homes. With this exit comes a wail from the cub, sensing a new distance from its mother, and the frightening situation it finds itself in, although the mother Den Mauler is far from the only beast to hear this cry. Once they reach the cave, the mercenaries stop to think about how they can release the thing without incident. After all, it is still a dangerous predator, though they will find that as the least of their problems.  

Barreling through the wilds, tearing through the cave entrance, they see a pack of the giant Dreg Rats. Ravenous with hunger and madness, the things have a vendetta against the Den Mauler intruders, as well as the humans, and they will take the fight to them here. The mercenaries get into position the best they can, given the surprise of this ambush. With each slash of the their claws, each devastating gouge of their fangs, the cub becomes wilder and wilder, breaking free with a shriek. All are uncertain what may happen next, to the hesitation of both the men and the rats, but suddenly the mother makes her presence known with a deafening roar echoing off the cave chamber. Once the Den Maulers charge the rats, the men express their excitement with a cheer, followed by a hasty retreat, lest they outstay their welcome any further. From there, the job devolves into any other extermination job. The mercenaries head back to the settlement, ready to clean up the lesser swarms below, and bring the contract to an end. They will celebrate tonight on a job well done, surviving yet another day, compensated for the dangerous work they do, of the only life they know.