Sick Rat with Yellow-Banded Tail

Summary

The Sick Rat with Yellow-Banded Tail is a large rat distinguished by a yellow band of coloration on its tail, purchased by Sucks Benedict for 5 coins from Jack the Hammock Merchant during Session 8 of the campaign. The rat was presented as a valuable "lure rat" and described by Jack as his "best rat," though the distinctive yellow banding indicates the animal is likely diseased. The transaction was later revealed to be a scam, with Jack admitting to a bystander that he had sold Sucks a rat he did not even own.

Properties

The rat is notably large in size and bears a distinctive yellow band of coloration running along its tail. This marking is unusual and suggests the animal is probably sick or diseased. Despite its questionable health, Jack claimed the rat possessed special value as a "lure rat," though no specific properties or uses for this designation were explained during the transaction.

The purchase price was set at 5 coins, which Jack received from Sucks Benedict in exchange for the animal.

History

Session 8

Sucks Benedict encountered the rat while conducting business with Jack the Hammock Merchant. Upon observing the yellow band on the rat's tail, Sucks remarked, "Oh, sick. This is a sick rat." Despite recognizing the animal appeared diseased, Sucks agreed to Jack's asking price of 5 coins. Jack marketed the rat as a valuable "lure rat" and his "best rat," convincing Sucks to complete the purchase.

After the transaction, Jack confided to another person that the deal had worked in his favor, stating: "I still think that I probably came out on top of that. I sold him a rat that I didn't own." This admission confirmed the entire exchange was fraudulent, with Jack having neither owned the rat nor provided any genuine value to Sucks in the transaction.