Summary: Ordinary rats living for generations beneath the Academy of the Arcane have evolved into clever thieves, thanks to a careless alchemist.

Starting Location: Alderia, a major city south of the Gryphon Forest.
Maps: Sewer Beneath the Alchemist's Tower
Artwork: Rattus Rex, King of the Rats Arcane

Plot Hooks:

• A member of the party is a former student of the Academy. His favorite instructor and mentor writes a letter, asking if he would return to deal with a "rat problem"... discretely.
• After spending the night in Alderia, the party discovers that some of their most valuable possessions are missing. The only clues are giant, bipedal rat prints that lead into the storm sewers.
• The party notices odd graffiti in an Alderian alley. A red rat skull with a black crown has been painted above the words "Trespassers Beware". Dark red paint has also been splashed on the nearby storm drain cover... or is that blood?