All Roadents Lead...

16th August 2023

## Adventurers Attending

* Io Aerkeryrm
* Aristaeus, Third of His Name
* Juniper
* Arr'dain

## Mission Notes

As our party sat in the guildhall, the guild's resident Mousekin, Aristaeus, was met by a regular mouse who proceeded to stand on it's hind legs and speak aloud in Common. This took a number of people aback including Io, who used her telepathy to quickly confirm that this was indeed no ordinary mouse, but one of a hive of voices speaking in unison.

The mouse, identifying as 'Nibbles', asked for aid. The party followed Nibbles deep into the sewers to Nibbles' home, home also to a number of mice, rats and cats, all speaking as 'Nibbles' and surrounded by a fungus. Nibbles believed some of their number had been disconnected from the rest of the hivemind and driven into a frenzy that resulted in a large culling of their numbers prior to the party arriving. After much discussion to understand the nature of the Nibbles', their guides (whom the party dubbed "Nibbles the Gray" and "Nibbles, First of His Name") lead the party to the origin of the Nibbles Fungus, where they saw a fungus-endowed man scratching on stone tablets.

After a tense encounter, the man identified himself as Bertred, a druid studying and experimenting on fungus, with the dream of using his studies to create a way for knowledge to be passed down and shared instantly and collectively. His experimentations on rodents proved fruitful, creating intelligent mice on par with many of the common folk of Meraki, though he explained he made a mistake with the Nibbles Fungus and wished to eradicate it so as to prevent it from causing harm.

When Bertred explained his plans, the party were cautious. When Bertred demonstrated his plan, the party were enraged. They set upon him with the same mercy they believed he held for the mice, even as said mice tried to defend him. Try as they might, Bertred and the mice could only repel and deter the party for so long as Aristeaus finally got the killing blow. The more 'successful' experiments fled in fear of the party, whom proceeded to torch the area and take Bertred's research, while a number of the Nibbles' were convinced to join Io in her pocket dimension.

## Rumours

* Now that the fungi's creator is dead, will the intelligent mice seek revenge?
* Not all of the Nibbles' went with Io. Now that Bertred is dead, and their home burnt, they have fled.

## Player Diaries

### Io Aerkeryrm

We were all chilling in the guild when a mouse popped up and started talking to Aristaeus asking for some help with a problem. Connecting to his mind I was met with a chorus of other voices. Hive mind talking mice? They all seemed quite pleasant. And their flattery did not go amiss. It turned out that some of their number had been removed from the hive mind and turned feral, and Nibbles (as they collectively called themselves) sort our aid. After a brief jaunt through the sewers, charming place and exactly where I wanted to spend my Wednesday evening, we arrived at their collective home. Noticing strange mushrooms on the walls, I attempted to connect with them. If my experience with Myco has thought me anything it’s mushrooms can sometimes be smart. As it happens these mushrooms were also a part of Nibbles. More a form of cordyceps than Myconid, they at the least seemed to have found some symbiosis with their host creatures. Following Nibbles the Grey and Nibbles, first of his name (as we decided to sun our guides) we arrived at a lab. A batty old mushroom covered wizard started explaining his experiments and general evil genocidal plans towards Nibbles (one of his former experiments) Ari got super mad at his abuse of mice and went to stab him. He obviously died. Some of his later experiments fled, I tried to talk reason with them but they had such bad Stockholm syndrome they wanted nothing I was offering. I collected up his research and the raw specimens of Nibbles Fungus, and offered a safe place from the collective at Ürs. Some agreed to join me as the rest of the gang started setting fire to the place. I don’t get why people hate mushroom creatures so much?

### Aristaeus, Third of his Name

*My Dearest Mother,* I hope this letter finds you in good health. I feel compelled to share a recent adventure that has left my heart heavy and my thoughts troubled. I set forth on a mission with a noble intention – to aid what I believed to be a rodent whose people were suffering under malevolent forces. However, the truth was far more unsettling. What I thought to be a mouse was, in reality, a parasitic fungus that had infested the local rodent population, leading to their deaths. The sight of those lifeless bodies haunts my mind, a grim reminder of the horrors that exist in our world. My heart aches with sadness and anger for the innocent lives lost, their fates stolen by a force beyond their control. In the grip of fury, I confronted the man responsible for this tragedy and, overwhelmed by my emotions, I took his life. But even in the aftermath, my soul finds no solace. The images of those piles of dead rodents persist, a painful testament to the darkness we sometimes face. I write this not to burden you with my troubles, but to share the weight on my heart. It is a reminder that our path is not always clear, and the line between right and wrong can blur in the face of such despair. I seek understanding and strength to bear the weight of what I have witnessed and done. *With love and respect, Aristaeus*