Wawwen

A wererat who lives in the Fire Giants’ Hall. Guide and informant for Nemesis.

Real Name

Warren — but his buck teeth make it come out as “Wowan” or “Wawwen”. He can’t pronounce his own name properly.

Origin

Fled Baldur’s Gate about a decade ago with his wererat family after being cursed and transformed into wererats
They are outcasts, living in squalor in a back room of the Fire Giants’ Hall
A whole family of wererats live there, in their own filth and stinking rubbish
He told the party his sob story about who he used to be in Baldur’s Gate
The fire giants mostly ignore the wererats but set traps for them — giant “mousetraps” baited with wheels of flesh (fire giant or human flesh)

How the Party Met Him (Session 33)

[[Lyra Shadowthorn]] and [[Arawn Arryn]] scouted the outskirts and found a hidden entrance (a crack in the mountain)
Inside, they were jumped by two wererats (surprise round, but Arawn has Alert — can’t be surprised)
Arawn killed one wererat quickly
The surviving wererat (Wawwen) freaked out: “You killed my brother!” Then changed it to cousin, then nephew — clearly lying about the relationship
Lyra realised they shouldn’t be killing these guys
The party threatened and coaxed him into becoming their guide
He led them to his wererat family’s lair, then through the fortress
[[Alora Amathur]] did an Insight check — felt she could trust him
Promise: Alora has Greater Restoration and could potentially remove his curse and restore him to his former life

Personality

Cockney English accent — very frank, says ridiculous things
Compulsive liar about small things — changes who the dead wererat was (brother/cousin/nephew) constantly
Checks the “sun” for the time when there’s no sun around
When told to wait: “I’ve got a tea party to go to”
Self-aware about his situation: “Come on, dudes, I am a prisoner of you. You could kill me. You’ve just killed my cousin… brother… nephew.”
The party got very smitten with him — he’s genuinely funny

What He Told the Party

An event occurred in the last couple of days (matching the ~3-day timeline since Lux stole the Rod)
The fire giants were all here but now almost none remain — a massive battle occurred
Vecna was insanely displeased after losing the Rod of Seven Parts
Vecna sent asteroids down from the Red Moon carrying slaads and aberrant monsters
They attacked the fire giants — a full-scale incursion
He doesn’t describe the details directly — he shows them: “I’ll show you what happened. It’s hard to describe. It is gruesome.”
He knows all the secrets of the fortress — how to get around without the fire giants noticing
The fire giants kind of ignored him and the other wererats

Role as Guide

Led the party through: the wererat lair → the ritual hall → the throne room → descent through caverns → Star Forge lookout
Knows the layout of the upper levels (10 down to ~7)
Below level 7, even the wererats didn’t go — too hot, too dangerous, too close to the forge

Speech Pattern Reference

Replace all “s” sounds with “th” when they occur at the start or middle of words. Final “s” is sometimes normal, sometimes “th” depending on emphasis.

“something” → “thomething”
“seven” → “theven”
“I said” → “I thaid”
“yes” → “yeth”
“rats” → “ratth”
“dangerous” → “dangerouth”
“those” → “thothse”
His name: he tries to say “Warren” but it comes out “Wawwen”

Session 34 — What Actually Happened (Canon)

At the Lookout (Level 10)

When Arawn tried Speak with Animals (rolled 3) and got nothing, Wawwen quipped: “If you wanted to talk to animals you could’ve talked to me.” Then pissed off the edge of the lookout.
Lux noticed Wawwen’s lisp didn’t match his name phonetically (rolled 10) but couldn’t figure out why.

The Slag Chute

Wawwen led the party to a slag chute — a giant-scale waste disposal tunnel the wererats used as a highway
The party slid from level 9 to level 3 in seconds, bypassing the ascending possessed giants entirely
This was the critical shortcut that got the party to the forge floor

On the Forge Island

Kaial carried Wawwen during the descent through the cooling vent shaft, shielding him with Inspiring Leader temp HP (18) and Lay on Hands
Wawwen is now on the forge island with the party — out of his depth but still with them

Speech Pattern Note

Jay described Wawwen as “a bit Jonathan Ross” during the session — suggesting more of a w/r substitution pattern alongside the lisp
Example: “wight”, “fwiendly”, “glamowouth”

Session 34 — Original Descent Plan (DRAFT — Partially Used)

What He Knows

Secret paths: ventilation shafts, maintenance tunnels the giants used for lava channel upkeep. These are rat-sized, not giant-sized. Wawwen can fit. The party can’t (except Lyra, maybe, with some squeezing).
Which paths are watched and which aren’t — or at least, which WEREN’T watched before the possession.
The tadpoles: he’s terrified of them. He’s seen what they do. “Those things. They come from the red thky. You don’t touch thothse. You don’t let them near your eyeth.”

Personality During the Descent

Terrified but loyal. He helped them this far. He won’t abandon them. But he’s a rat, not a hero. He flinches at every sound. His hands shake. His whiskers twitch constantly.
Useful in short bursts. He can scout a level ahead through rat tunnels and report back. He can warn them about upcoming hazards. He can identify which giants are freshly possessed vs deeply corrupted (he’s been watching them).
Out of his depth. Below level 7, he doesn’t know the layout. He says so honestly. “I never went below theven. Nobody did. The forge itth… it’th not a plathe for ratth.”

Suggested Beats

The Lookout (Level 10): He points out what they can see. Names the levels. Warns them about the possessed. “They don’t thleep. They don’t eat. They jutht… wait.”
The Dead Giant (Level 9): He recoils from the tadpole. Delivers the warning about not letting them near your eyes. If the party has the slaad tadpole jar, he stares at it in horror.
Before Combat 1 (Level 8): He can scout ahead — “Two of them. Jutht thtanding there. Not moving. Not breathing. Waiting.” Gives the party time to plan an approach.
After Combat 1: He’s shaken by the violence. Stays at the back. Useful for identifying loot or exits.
The Corruption Thickens (Level 7): He presses his hand to the wall and recoils. “The mountain ith alive. Thith ithn’t… thith ithn’t how it wath. Thith ith new. Thith ith getting worthse.”
Below Level 7 — He Stops. This is the key moment. He reaches his limit. “I can’t go further. I don’t know what’th down there. But I can go back up. I can find another way. I’ll meet you at the bottom — if there ITH a bottom.”

The Decision Point

Option A: Wawwen goes back up. He retreats through the rat tunnels to the upper levels. The party loses their guide but he survives. He could reappear in session 35 or 36, having found an alternate route. Useful for delivering information or opening a path.

Option B: Wawwen pushes on. If the party persuades him (Persuasion DC 15, or Intimidation DC 12 — he’s easily scared), he continues but is increasingly useless. He hides during combat. He panics when the asteroids hit. He could die if the party isn’t careful — and his death could be a gut punch.

Option C: Wawwen has his own mission. He offers to go back up and do something useful — collapse a tunnel behind them to slow the corruption, lead the duergar refugees to safety, or scout for an escape route for after the forging. This gives him purpose without putting him in combat.