Fighting the Rat-Men to a draw and making a new plan.

Having taken one of the Rat-men down, I called for the others to help and we charged back into the fight. Unfortunately, the rat-men were tougher than my first kill had led me to believe. We hung in the fight but I was the only really effective fighter on our side and they got a reserve rat-man to join them. All of our normal weapons caused wounds that healed as fast as we inflicted them. Tuath was able to ensnare a couple of them with magic vines. Ozzie was able to grapple but there was little value in that. Balderdash was able to drag one out into the sunlight. This made the rat-man transform into what looked like a human but did not kill him as we had hoped. That rat-man ran away and, given that we could do little to damage him, we let him go. As brave and tough as my team was, this was not a fight we could win. I managed to kill one and damage another but there were still four left and I was starting to have to focus on healing. We bailed out a second time. Luckily, they did not follow us out.
 
We licked our wounds, took a short rest, and marched through the night to get back to town. We were worried that the rat-men would catch us in the night when we could not escape them but we ran into no trouble on the march to Phanlin. We came in in the middle of the night and Toblin the Innkeeper was not too excited but set us up with rooms. (He also set us up with two rooms on an ongoing basis.)
 
About noon the next day, we went to see Harbin. He declared that the job was not done. I strongly disagree. The task was to deliver DJ to the mine. We did that. We made a strong run at clearing out the new owners of the mine. That was above and beyond any delivery. My only regret is that I think the rat-men have enslaved the miners. In any case, Harbin stiffed us for the job. He offered us 150GP to go back and clear the place and install DJ. I countered at 350GP plus expenses. Harbin declared it not worth that.
 
We took the job to go find Axehome off the job board (a second time) and went shopping. Ozzie thinks that silvered weapons will allow us to defeat the rat-men. We checked in at the Lyonshield Coster but Lynene Greywind has no such weapons. We checked in at the Miner’s Exchange. Halia is the proprietor. We traded stories. Halia is our best lead in that she said she would ask around and that we should check back with her in the morning. They have a pound of silver on hand if we want to buy it. We stopped in at the blacksmith. He was willing to experiment but is clearly not a weapon smith. At each location, we asked about Axehome. (We asked Toblin the innkeeper when it was first and option on the job board.) We quizzed DJ (Don Jon). He may be a competent manager, but he knew nothing of value for us. No one knew more than we did. We ran off to go see Adabrah. She was happy to see us but also knew nothing of Axehome (or rat-men). Tuath set up a standing deal to sleep here when the rest of the group is in town. I’m not a big fan of having a party member that far away but I get his preference to stay out of town.
 
In the morning, I do run my religious service. (OOC: I know I am mixing tenses, but we did not do much with this during actual play.) I start experimenting with the Thaumaturgy cantrip to see if I can draw an audience. I probably need to spend a few days in town just working on my connection to the villagers. I need to put out the word that, with notice, I can perform a number of ceremonies (that have clear benefits). Coming of Age and Wedding are the clearest use cases here in town. (Spells listed below.) My main point of the service is to spread the word that Mitra has sent me to help. I can cure wounds, disease, blindness (and other conditions), and provide guidance. I am not here to displace any other god. I should ask Toblin the Innkeeper for his help in reaching the town as an audience. He can clearly attest to Adabrah’s recovery once I stopped by.
 
If Halia at the Miner’s Exchange does not provide us with any leads on Axehome, I am at a loss. We have asked everyone we know in town for any information on Axehome and no one has more information than we do. Ozzie is somewhat familiar with the story of Axehome but not so much that he knows where it is. Dazelene and Norbus, the dwarves that Ozzie was working with at the slime temple, would likely be a good source of direction but I have no idea how to find them. Unless someone else has a new idea, I am thinking that it would take us five days to march to the city of Fareme. There, I can ask the church of Mitra, and my father, Lord Torvald. Given the resources of church and noble family, I expect we can find information on how to defeat rat-men (which we should do to save any enslaved miners), and details on the location of Axehome. It is five days march out, a day of research, and five days back but there is every reason to expect better results than wandering around lost in the mountains.
 
 
Thaumaturgy
TransmutationCantrip
CAST
At Will
Customize
Casting Time:
1 action
Range/Area:
30ft.
Components:
V
Duration:
1 minute
Source:
PHB, pg. 282
You manifest a minor wonder, a sign of supernatural power, within range. You create one of the following magical effects within range:
• Your voice booms up to three times as loud as normal for 1 minute.
• You cause flames to flicker, brighten, dim, or change color for 1 minute.
• You cause harmless tremors in the ground for 1 minute.
• You create an instantaneous sound that originates from a point of your choice within range, such as a rumble of thunder, the cry of a raven, or ominous whispers.
• You instantaneously cause an unlocked door or window to fly open or slam shut.
• You alter the appearance of your eyes for 1 minute.
 
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its 1-minute effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
 
 
 
Ceremony
PREPARE
1st LevelAbjuration
Casting Time:
1 hour + 10 minutes
Range/Area:
Touch
Components:
V, S, M(25 gp worth of powdered silver, which the spell consumes)
Duration:
Instantaneous
Source:
XGtE, pg. 151
You perform a special religious ceremony that is infused with magic. When you cast the spell, choose one of the following rites, the target of which must be within 10 feet of you throughout the casting.
Atonement. You touch one willing creature whose alignment has changed, and you make a DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check. On a successful check, you restore the target to its original alignment.
Bless Water. You touch one vial of water and cause it to become holy water.
Coming of Age. You touch one humanoid who is a young adult. For the next 24 hours, whenever the target makes an ability check, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the ability check. A creature can benefit from this rite only once.
Dedication. You touch one humanoid who wishes to be dedicated to your god’s service. For the next 24 hours, whenever the target makes a saving throw, it can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the save. A creature can benefit from this rite only once.
Funeral Rite. You touch one corpse, and for the next 7 days, the target can’t become undead by any means short of a wish spell.
Wedding. You touch adult humanoids willing to be bonded together in marriage. For the next 7 days, each target gains a +2 bonus to AC while they are within 30 feet of each other. A creature can benefit from this rite again only if widowed.
PREPARE
 
 
Lesser Restoration
2nd LevelAbjuration
CAST
SPELL SLOT3
LEVEL2nd
Customize
Casting Time:
1 action
Range/Area:
Touch
Components:
V, S
Duration:
Instantaneous
Source:
PHB, pg. 255
You touch a creature and can end either one disease or one condition afflicting it. The condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.