Serpent's Skull I, Smuggler's Shiv

[lostsole31]

DAY 75

That day, as everyone studies, prays, meditates, practices, juggles, etc., Aron throws a set of bones she's cleaned and shaped over this time and throws them like dice on the ground on her cloak. She studies that for some time.

The party - a full complement this time - makes its way carefully down the rope to the entrance cavern. Light spells are set up as before, and this assumes that Ankarum has a tomahawk in one hand and his large (lit) shield in the other. As before, the tunnel leading to the SE out of here is only wide enough for single file.

Ankarum, you travel 40' and you see a dark pool of water in the center of a silo-shaped cavern. A five-foot-wide ledge of stone seems to wind down to the pool below, passing several cave entrances that you see in dim light along the way. You can't see how high the cavern ceiling is. You step in carefully and to the side and the party slowly and carefully files into the cavern. It's only because of the great number of light sources that it looks in the dimmest light that the cavern might be 50' high or so. The pool seems relatively clear.

"I'm quite familiar with spelunking and practices for exploring underground, given the fact my schooling and background is in archaeology," says Aron. "That sparkling pool looks like it's only 5' deep, but I'd say it's actually about 10'."

"I have some armchair knowledge on the Darklands," says Jask, "but you're right. You are now our resident expert."

Not counting the entrance you arrived in (NE), there are four other entrances: E, SE, SW, and NW. The party looks to the elder Garundi's wisdom and Aron's knowledge. He mentions that instead of walking around willy-nilly, a systematic means of exploration should be conducted, and he recommends going clockwise from E to S, etc. Going east, it is only a 15' long, 5' wide (at best) passageway going into a massive chamber. But unlike all the rest, which seem somewhat natural (outside of the steps going into the pool), this place is obviously worked. This long chamber evokes the feel of an ancient, hideous cathedral. The walls are carved with images of serpents walking upright like humans, snakes coiling around and eating hapless women and children, and strange scenes. Four stone pillars carved like coiling snakes support the vaulted ceiling 30' above. In dim light, you see two small cells blocked by rusted bars, one on each side (east and west). To the south, also in dim light, rises a horrific mound of bones and partially decaying bodies in an eight-foot-tall heap arranged almost as if to evoke the imagery of a coiled snake made of corpses.

[lostsole31]

Ankarum, you hear it first, the shifting of bones, and then you see in the dim light two creatures come around the side of the mound towards you. Their noise and low hissing gave them away.

S17: The first one charges you and snatches forward with a bite. You get your shield up in time to block.

S10: Ankarum, the other monster hasn't yet gotten to you. With the other one facing right into the light on the front of your shield, however, you see it is a humanoid that has long, sharp teeth and its pallid flesh is stretched tightly over its starved frame.

[Blackhawk101]

Fighting defensively with tomahawk and shield, Ankarum tries to keep the first opponent between him and the second taking a five foot step.

[lostsole31]

S10: Fighting defensively with tomahawk and shield. The monster's charge is just barely what Ankarum needs to hack it in the left knee for 6. The creature jerks straight up at the sudden pain and a screaming hiss, just enough for Ankarum to follow up with a shield to the face for 5 (max). Ankarum tries to keep the first opponent between him and the second taking a five foot step straight back and to the left.

S4: The second monster charges at an angle to stand at Ankarum's F-L (Fwd-Left), but this time Ankarum is ready for the attack and he dodges out of the way. With this one facing the savage, he notes from his clothing (albeit ragged) and hat that this must be the late Captain Kovack.

Begin Round One ...

R1T21: Lalarlia must see this as well. "For your treachery, but to set you free as well, I smite thee, Captain Kovack!"

She races forth and glows. She goes past the first ghoul who can't get past her armor. The magical scimitar across Kovack's right upper arm for 12 (max)!

"Everyone - Ankarum, too, please let me give duel this creature alone and take care of the other. Calistria seeks his blood."

R1T17: The first ghoul steps forward so that it is now flanking Lalarlia, but her holy protections and armor keep it at bay.

R1T16: Stephan charges with his mighty sword to cleave that first monster, and only Lalarlia (and Ankarum's) opponent remains.

Erin, Pezock, and Jask delay.

R1T10: Ankarum, do you leave Lalarlia to her honor, or find that silly and continue to attack?

[Blackhawk101]

Ankarum admires Lalaria's warrior spirit and give a yipping battle cry as he raises his tomahawk in support.

[lostsole31]

As Ankarum steps back to give the combatants room, the others come up a little and cheer Lalarlia onward.

The ghoul steadies itself after its charge and launches at the paladin with everything it has, but her elven reflexes dodge two attacks while holy power throws wide the other. Lalarlia does not hold back and with holy zeal cuts deep into its chest for a fantastic 30 damage! The creature falls to the ground, and the glow surrounding Lalarlia goes away.

Immediately, she lets her scimitar clatter and drops to her knees. She looses her shield, holds her holy symbol and begins to kneel over him, praying quietly. After a minute or two of prayer, she stands and looks to the party. She has tears in her eyes.

"So much death on account of a trickster. I have thanked Calistria that vengeance has been served against the late Captain Kovack's actions and weakness, but to understand how he was ensnared by magic he was powerless to resist. I prayed that with his death his spirit is freed and hopefully accepted by the will of whatever deity he served in life."

She looks at the two creatures then back to the party. "Erin has seen these creatures with me when we fought the one in the treasure pit on the grassy hill. This is a lacedon, which is a fancy way of saying an aquatic ghoul ... undead creatures of greed and hunger that have grown enough webbing and enhanced strength that they are able to swim at frightening speeds. We have saved or finally damned Kovack, but have otherwise sent his spirit beyond. Now, we continue his last request. We smite all we see until we find Ieana and then avenge the crew, passengers, and ourselves against this witch!"

[Blackhawk101]

The witch must pay! First we need to finish clearing this nest of evil and then we take out the temple.
Ankarum will help search the room.

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Rousing Speeches

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The witch must pay! First we need to finish clearing this nest of evil and then we take out the temple.

In his head, this is what Ankarum thought he sounded like, but in reality, it came out like Gabby Johnson, here.

It is a massive temple extending over 100' from north to south, and 25' east to west. Four alcoves total end up being seen. There are a total of four empty alcoves, to the north end there is a slight flare out of 35' E-W. To the north, an immense carving of a snake's head looms, an ash-caked door clenched in its jaws. It is a horrible job, but the hillock of bones is knocked down some. A search of the bones that were made to evoke the imagery of a coiled snake reveals nothing of note.

The ancient workings are totally foreign to the cleric Lalarlia and the priest Jask. Aron closes her eyes partly, incanting some unknown words and waving the palm of her hand back and forth over the larger carvings, at a distance of six inches. She stops and opens her eyes and turns around. "Truly an ancient site, beyond what I can even reckon. In lost times there were people that were like man and serpent both. They enslaved the world of men, visiting horrors upon them as depicted on these walls. This seems to be a temple to their god .... Ydersius."

"The moon tells you much that Nethys would hide from me," says Jask with an uneasy feel.


"Serpentfolk," Gelik spits. "Thought by many scholars of the world to simply be mythical, and that human cults worshipped the essences of snakes, but these creatures are supposed to be extinct. No, in my job, coming across this and that ancient lore makes you very aware of the things that used to be. History isn't actually my forte, but my knowledge of monstrous humanoids is fair. But they passed out of history long ago. Little is known about them other than the fact that they were incredibly powerful spellcasters. But even for that, any creature of the taxonomic designation 'monstrous humanoid' (at least, as far as we can tell that's what they were) means that they are hard to kill, quite capable in combat with whatever weapons they know how to use, and they can see in the dark. Strong minds and fast feet, I'd say that if there were any 'weakness' it would be that their internal ability to resist pain and poison is not as good as a warrior of equal skill and toughness."

"Well," says Lalarlia, "at least now we know what we might be dealing with ... somehow these 'extinct' creatures .... aren't. The Varisian scholar Ieana must have been using magic - as you said serpentfolk are good at using - to hide her form. The fact she is a scholar isn't a lie, because it seems like a lot of trouble was spent trying to get to this island. A lot of lives' lost and mind you, a surprising amount of risk to herself as well. Very possibly she is attempting to find some way to reconnect with her people's past, religious or otherwise. The real question to ask later is, 'Is she alone or sent ahead as an agent of a sleeper cell of surviving serpentfolk?' I guess we'll have to figure that out later."

As the group nears the door and sees the char marks, they see several empty potion bottles by the door. The sisters recognize the potion bottles seem very similar to the smoked green glass ones that they saw Ieana carry once or twice on the Jenivere's final voyage.

The door is checked for traps, but it seems clear. Jask, a wizard who specializes in destructive magics, looks at the char markings. "It seems Ieana was in for a surprise. This door was protected by a fiery ward. Those potion bottles we see, were likely filled with a curative draught to recover. But, it's a one-shot and the door is fine now."

Pezock opens the door so Ankarum can stand point and protect if needed. A low stone altar, its sides carved like coiling snakes and its top carved to resemble a yawning viper's maw, sits in the center of this room. The walls of the chamber are carved with images of anthropomorphic serpents using strange, pointed megaliths of stone to work great feats of magic -- transforming an army of humans into zombies, calling down flaming bolts of lightning from the stars, or parting the waters of the sea to dash human ships upon the exposed rocks of the seabed below. This final image seems to have been recently cleaned of dust, and several lines of text have been made more legible via the application of inks and perhaps blood. The room is octabonal, 15' across at any point and 5' wide at each wall. There are no other exits.

The carvings are investigated. Aron, Gelik and Jask confirm that the images presented depict scenes here on the island of Smuggler's Shiv. Jask identifies the carvings as ancient indeed, likely contemporary with ancient Azlant (which means nothing to Ankarum, of course), which he says he can speak. When he mentions this, Gelik perks up, since out of fun the gnome learned ancient Azlanti (a dead language) at university in hopes of one day coming across a find from that era. Since the creatures are more of the same as outside, Gelik confirms that they do appear as ancient renditions of serpentfolk.

No one can read the script here (least of all Ankarum, of course). Gelik casts a spell and says, "Jask, take this down .... it says ..."

Spoiler: Tide Stone

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To Command the Very Tides to Rise Up and Eschew What Lies Below:
Empower the Four Sentinel Runes with the Blood of a Thinking Creature Tempered by the Kiss of a Serpent's Tongue.
Anoint the Tide Stone with Waters Brought from the Sea in a Vessel of Purest Metal.
Invoke the Lord's Sacred Name to Wrap His Coils around the Sea Itself that He Might Lay Bare What Lies Below and Cast Down Your Enemies on the Waves above.

As fancy as those words are, Ankarum notices smaller carvings nearby that depict serpentfolk splashing blood on curved runes carved on upright stones before a red mountain, and then holding venomous snakes against the blood that they might lick the stones, pouring water onto a pyramid-shaped block of stone with arms upraised and mouths agape as if shouting to the heavens as a bolt of lightning arcs up from the stones into the sky.

Aron, Gelik, and Jask definitely recognize that the mountain in the carvings is Red Mountain on the island's eastern shore.

"The riddle of lightning in the sky has been solved in part," says Gelik. "Ieana was the one that used the monolith and pyramid-shaped thing there to blast lightning into the sky those two times. That's why the wreck of the Salty Strumpet was out of the water and why Captain Ekubus was chatting about the strange low tide. The tides lowered, and it must have opened the massive doors as well."

[lostsole31]

[Feel free to Retcon any RP in a spoiler.]

After finding no secret passages, it is time to leave. You move up the slope into the room with the large pool, going to the next egress (SSE). Faint carvings are just visible on the eastern wall of this cavern. Gelik casts his spells and reads aloud: "All glory to Great Ydersius."

There is a single exits to the west heading downwards. When you get there, you see bones that lie strewn about the floor of this cavern. The grisly remains appear to have been gnawed on so that they're cracked and jagged. You thought you heard a cracking, slurping sound but it suddenly stopped. Just as you are about to say something, a lacedon pops out from the side of the wall, surprising you. You manage to block its bite with your shield, but a claw slashes you across your right shoulder for 4. The wound stings, but then you realize something terrible as your shoulder seizes, then your arm, and instantly the rest of your body as you hiss in pain before you can't even do that. You are paralyzed in place. Another claw across the same shoulder for 3.

Round One ...

R1T22: "What's going on up there?!" calls Gelik, delaying since he can't see as he's around a curve.

R1T20: Lalarlia calls out, "It's a lacedon! Ankarum's paralyzed! Elves are immune to ghoul paralysis!"

She puts her scimitar in her shield hand, simply knocks Ankarum over onto the ground(who doesn't get hurt), steps over him, and bares her scimitar in her right hand again.

R1T17: Pezock zooms around out of the previous cavern into the pool room, to the next pool-room exit and his guess is right as he moves to just 10' of the ghoul, blocking the exit.

R1T14: Stephan moves up behind Lalarlia.

R1T13: Erin gets out her magic dagger, steps up 5' and tosses it and it stabs the ghoul in its right elbow for 8.

R1T12: Aron is around the corner, but she sings a haunting tune which just in hearing fills the party with fervor over those who would not stay dead.

R1T11: The monster looks at both sets ... Pezock by himself blocking an entrance, or a whole line of heroes on the other. It screeches loudly and begins to dart towards the tengu, but no sooner does it turn than Lalarlia cuts high, sideways, and perfectly horizontal. The scimitar cleaves right through its head - about the browline, but all the way across. The thing falls down, and the remaining brain-bowl goes to the side.

Lalarlia is truly turning into a badass with that scimitar, and she wasn't even smiting that time!

It only takes about 30 seconds or so from pure pain-paralysis to turn into severe pins-and-needles to free motion. The pins and needles effect exists with the wound, but with no extra effect. Aron will obviously have stopped singing. She does her spooky spellcasting, calling upon lunar forces to have the internal tides of your body change to heal you, and with one casting you are fully healed.

Erin grabs her dagger out of the thing's elbow and looks at Ankarum. "You through screwing around?"

[Blackhawk101]

Ankarum saw Lalaria had it under control so decided to take a nap. Much refreshed now. Back to killing dead things.

[lostsole31]

That brings smiles and laughter all around. [Including to the DM.]

Since Pezock already proved that the next egress from the pool-room you would've explored would've been led into this cavern, there is a passageway to the NNW, and that's the way Jask has you go. There is a short bottleneck of 5' and it goes slightly downward into a tiny connecting chamber. One is the way you came (S); one (NE) is a 5' wide that goes down 15 before the back-and-forth of the natural cavern walls keeps you from seeing what's beyond; the last (NW) is less a passage and more of an opening onto an area with a cavern ledge that leads down to a small sandy beach in this large cave, the majority of which is taken up by a sloshing pool of seawater. It is apparent that this must be a single or part of a series of sea caves, so the ocean itself is close and you have descended that whole way without entirely realizing it (though you have been going downwards nearly the entire time, excepting the temple).

Unless it becomes important to look at this, Jask says the group can come back to it and heads back out to go to the last egress from the pool-room. It's only 20' of a 5' wide pwy until you get to a long cavern that is scattered with bones, body parts, and bits of seaweed. You hear the sloshing of of waves to the north.

You easily spot three ghouls, and with your light shield and the party noise, they easily notice you.

Round One ...

R1T20: Without a spell cast, Gelik forms and throws a glowing bead of green which misses one of the ghouls and splashes on the ground, scoring the bones where it missed with acid.

R1T19: Ankarum, there are three ghouls in this room, all spread out some, but the closest one is 15' away. The debris on the ground is not enough to count as difficult terrain. You are currently holding a 5-foot-wide breech. What do you do?

[Blackhawk101]

Must hold the opening to protect the spell users. There are three dead things in this room.
Ankarum will take a defensive stance and will take a five foot step to the side as the others move up. If this means he must delay his action, so be it.

[lostsole31]

R1T19: "Must hold the opening to protect the spell users," Ankarum warns as he steps in and to the side while taking a defensive stance. "There are three dead things in this room!"

Spoiler: Breakdown

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The assumption is that you stop at the last 5-foot square of a passageway, not step in 5 feet. As such, you have to move in 5', and then step 5' to the side. You can't diagonally step 5' through the corner, which takes up your move action. Without having readied a standard action (such as an attack), I'll assume you instead turned your "take a defensive stance" to mean total defense for +4 dodge bonus to AC.

R1T18: Instead of stepping forward to help hold the breech, Lalarlia instead now has a clear line and runs in to charge the closest ghoul, but she stumbles some on the bones and debris and misses wildly.

R1T14: Ankarum hears Jask casting a spell.

R1T9: Pezock moves in to take advantage of initiative and moves to attack another ghoul. Pezock's surprising strength gripping the serrated sword nails the creature in the head, a powerful sawing motion across the temple, for 14.

R1T8: Aron's voice is heard casting a spell.

R1T7.1: Stephan steps forward and just a step out into the room to block the breech but still get a good arc of attack (though exposure as well), and grips his sword in readiness.

R1T7: The enemy now begins to recover from the shock of the initial assault. Lalarlia's armor holds against the bite of her enemy, but claws her shield arm's elbow for 3. She sweeps her shield across her body to block the last attack. The ghoul begins to hoot and holler, and the others will follow suit.

R1T6: Erin steps forth and to the left. Now, there is a line of three heroes standing just in front of the passageway. She tosses her magic dagger at the one Lalarlia's fighting, since it's closer. The ghoul hunkers down some behind Lalarlia and the dagger goes sailing past. Erin quickly has another dagger in her hand.

R1T4: Pezock ducks and dodges quickly, but a claw still manages to get past his defenses and stabs deep into his left calf for 9 (max). Pezock caws loudly in pain!

R1T3: The ghoul farthest back charges across the expanse of the cavern towards the Shoanti brave, but is easily repelled and pushed back by the latter's shield which is enough to hold the beast in place while Stephan holds a devastating blow that drops the undead. Stephan looks at Ankarum and nods with a small smile.

End Round 1, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T20: Gelik begins to tell jokes to lift up the party's spirits in battle.

R2T19: Ankarum, only two enemies now, both uninjured. One fights Lalarlia (10' away), and another fights Pezock (on the other side of the "centerline" of the passageway, 20' away). You could charge or move to attack the one, simply move and attack the other, or stay in place in case any try to get around those two (or some other action, of course, but these are the three standard choices). What do you do?

Lalarlia on deck, Jask in the hole ...

[Blackhawk101]

Stephan, hold here. Ankarum goes to give aid to our friends and the final death to evil things!
With a yipping war cry, Ankarum charges the ghoul fighting Pezock figuring if he can finish the wounded creature fast and then help Lalaria if she needs it.
[roll0] to hit with a mighty chop with his tomahawk
damage [roll1]

[Blackhawk101]

Stephan hold here. Ankarum goes to give aid to our friends and bring the final death to evil things
With a yipping war cry, Ankarum charges the ghoul fighting Pezock figuring that the two of them could finish off the wounded ghoul and then help Lalaria is she needs or wants it.
(1d20+8)[21] to hit the ghoul with a mighty chop of his tomahawk.
(1d6+3)[8] damage

[lostsole31]

Spoiler

Show

Go into the first post above, the one where the rolls failed, and delete it. Go to "Edit Post" and at the top of that form there will be a section on deleting a post.

R2T19: "Stephan hold here. Ankarum goes to give aid to our friends and bring the final death to evil things."

With a yipping war cry, Ankarum moves over to the ghoul fighting Pezock, figuring that the two of them could finish off the wounded ghoul and then help Lalaria is she needs or wants it. With a powerful strike, he nails the ghoul in the very low abdomen and it gurgles and drops.

R2T18: Lalaria recovers from her charge, and switches her sword back and forth to briefly channel healing power into herself with her hand, but the fell evil of the area seems to be just oppressive enough that she only heals 1. She goes with what works when she takes her sword back into her hand, and sure enough it does as she crits the thing in the chest for 14.

R2T14: Jask casts a spell and two bolts of pure magical energy rip into the ghoul and drop it.

All enemies are destroyed.

Pezock cleans his sword off on the ghoul. Aron goes over to Lalarlia, and prays to lunar forces and she heals the vengeance cleric fully. Erin retrieves her magic dagger. Stephan keeps guard. Gelik stops his big jokes, but does make quips here and there.

Ankarum, what do you do?

[Blackhawk101]

Ankarum spends a few minutes searching the room for
stuff
searching [roll]1d20+[/roll]

[lostsole31]

This is a small hall of the dead. The space of the places you've been to before have been large enough to not give claustrophia. But this room is smaller to the ceiling, full of bones, and cramped. The floor isn't covered, but it takes conscious effort to step over or begin moving bones about. The air is hideous, not just the smell, but the very sense of things. Other than the muted sounds your group makes in the humid underground, it is a stillness. And of that thickness, there comes a croaking voice, like that of an old woman. From a small passageway steps another ghoul, but something about this crone marks her as definitely different.

Spoiler: The Mother

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There is a faintly shimmering field that surrounds her. It is not a general light, but it is green and a ghostly form of scales, with a form of a snake's head seeming to have swallowed her up to her neck and over the top of her. While the rest of the ghouls had sprung forth into violent abandon, she does not move.

In her creaking voice she says, "My name is Nylithati; Mother Thrunefang to the Thrunefang cannibals . You have taken my family from me, yet your persistence impresses me. I offer you a gift, life beyond death. You will never again know pain or suffering; fear not the sun nor the stinging humidity; never again be bedeviled by random beasts. Neither fear nor old age shall ravage your mind or your body. If I will bite you if you are willing, and if you allow my offering to pass through you with the fever, I shall let you languish in the unbirthing area until you die - die as a weak mortal creature to be reborn as my newest children. Any who refuse this boon are only fit for food.

"Mother Thrunefang walks right up to Pezock, who is also next to Ankarum with blinding speed. "Think of it. Bird-man, my children above have told me of someone of your description that eludes them, cowering in fear in the jungle. You, mighty savage Shoanti; you would be strongest of all of your kind. Minds which shall likewise increase. The darkness would hold no more secrets from your primitive mind; darkness, such as this."

She casts a spell, and all of the light in the room dims. The light spells all cast only dim light, while the dim light they held before melts into darkness. She is a shadowy figure before you.

Erin says, "You don't mind if I take precautions before we negotiate this, do you?" She casts a spell upon herself that looks exactly like the one Jask had cast upon himself.

R1T21: "What? And be enslaved by you? Never creature. I shall destroy you, first!" boasts Lalarlia. "How many have suffered because of you and your so-called family; and worse yet, the cannibals above? No, taste Calistria's sting."

She brandishes her holy symbol and holy energy bursts forth, but Mother Thrunefang is strong with her evil will and only takes 3 PE.

R1T20: Stephan meditates over his sword and raises it high. It lights like a the rest of the magical lights, but just like the rest it is only dim light. Stephan comes to the side of the crone.

R1T19: Pezock steps back 5 feet, takes out a device, and activates it while sticking it on his belt. Same protective shimmer as Jask and Erin.

R1T18: Jask blesses the allies.

R1T13: Traces of fluid begin to run down Gelik's arm and coalesces into a glowing ball of acid, which the shoots forth a wad of acid that hits her square in the Achilles' heel for 21 acid.

R1T6: Aron casts spell.

R1T5: Ankarum, Mother Thrunefang is right in front of you. What do you do?

[Blackhawk101]

You will not have them, evil dead Thing! Your time is at an end!
Flying into a Rage, Ankarum swings at her with his tomahawk.
(1d20+8)[14] to hit while raging
(1d6+5)[9] to damage

[lostsole31]

R1T5: "You will not have them, evil dead Thing! Your time is at an end!"

Flying into a rage, Ankarum swings at her with his tomahawk. There is a light pushing against his axe by the shifting coils of her surrounding snake aura, just enough so that when he contacts her skin it is not enough to get through.

End Round 1, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23: "Food it is, then!" she screeches. As she does though, the snake charm on her neck seems to scream as does the glowing snake head around her, and that whole area is filled with a blast of dark energies. The energy seems to infect some part of your souls, but everyone has become inured to the dangers of the many undead of the souls of Smuggler's Shiv and resist. All except Jask, whose ordered nature is affected more deeply by Mother Thrunefang's hate. For Ankarum's part, so full of wrath is he that hers cannot overcome his own.

Spoiler: NE Blast

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All damage is NE (negative energy).
Saved: Ankarum (1), Aron (4), Erin (3), Gelik (1), Lalarlia (2), Pezock (4), Stephan (4).
Failed: Jask (11).

R2T22: Erin casts a spell and disappears from view.

R2T21: "How terrible it must be for you to know," chides Lalarlia, "that the power of life is greater than that of death."

Lalarlia sends forth her own burst of healing energies to wash over the group for 9 PE. Though not fully healed, Jask heaves a great sigh as one that comes out of the water searching for breath. Likewise, Pezock is healed well of the wounds he had received previously, but still suffers a little.

R2T20: Stephan points at Nylithati and he is limned with a holy light. It is not as strong as the one you had seen earlier, but still enough. He walks up to the creature's left and swings .... but the dim light throws off his aim.

R2T19: Pezock steps forward so he is to her right and swings wildly and when he's done, his head is wobbly.

R2T18: Jask has his dagger in his hand, but his hand is flat, palm upright, with the dagger resting on it and pointed at the Mother. He concentrates and it zips out at her and pokes her in the belly for 1, before the dagger returns to his hand.

R2T13: This time, Gelik's hand create a mote of fire between his shifting palms and he shoots it out at her, but the snake aura knocks it to the side.

R2T6: Aron moves up behind Pezock, on the other side of the Mother, and casts a spell which takes care of the rest of the tengu's wounds.

R2T5: Ankarum, you really can't step to a position to flank, but you are still a raging monster. What do you do?

Mother Thrunefang on deck, Erin in the hole ...

[Blackhawk101]

Growling with rage, Ankarum's tomahawk whistles in a deadly arc towards the fell creature.
(1d20+8)[25] to hit
(1d6+5)[11] to damage

[lostsole31]

R2T5: Growling with rage, Ankarum's tomahawk whistles in a deadly arc towards the fell creature and cracks deep into her left shoulder for 12!

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T23: She tries to back up, but something stops her. She hisses and then gains her unholy energies and casts a spell, raising her hands upward from which some of the glowing green separates and then coalesces into a snake handled dagger of glowing energy she sends at Lalarlia, but her armor holds true as the profane thing is stopped.

R3T22: Erin's magic dagger suddenly appears stuck in the back of the Mother's left lung even as Erin appears from having been invisible.

R3T21: "The dagger cannot harm She whose dagger protects me and stings my enemies," says Lalarlia as she casts a spell. Mother snaps at her but Lalarlia ducks and surrounding the cleric appears a glowing form not dissimilar to the snake around Mother, but in this case a glowing, translucent yellow-red wasp.

R3T20: Stephan continues to throw power into the swing of his mighty glowing sword deep into where her shoulder and chest might have been, but the darkness throws off his aim once again.

R3T19: Pezock was utterly tossed about by his bad miss last round. He raises his sword back to cut and swing forward, but the serrations cut his own upper R arm instead for 11 damage! "CAAWW!!" he screams before he shakes his head in disbelief and has gathered his senses again.

R3T18: Jask does the same thing with the flying dagger, but Mother Thrunefang's snake protection lashes out to knock the dagger off to the side onto the ground several feet away.

R3T13: This time, Gelik simply holds his palms apart in a semi-cupped shape, and water from the air condenses into snow in his hands, which quickly hardens into a ball of pure cold which he sends at the enemy and pounds her for a whopping 12 cold.

R3T6: Aron, shakes her head and prays over Pezock yet again for 7 healing. "My connection to the moon is weakening," she says. "I don't think I can do but one more healing spell."

R3T5: Ankarum, what do you do?

[Blackhawk101]

Grunting with effort, Ankarum hacks at the thing again.
Ghhrrrrr!

(1d20+8)[11] to hit
(1d6+5)[11] to damage

[lostsole31]

R3T5: Grunting with effort, Ankarum hacks at the thing again. "Ghhrrrrr!" he snarls as much from the effort as the miss. She is very fast on her feet, much moreso than her lesser kin.

End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T23: Chopped and hacked and poked, Nylithati has shown herself to be a truly enduring opponent, but she surely cannot take too much more. She directs the glowing dagger at Lalarlia again, but again is blocked.

"Ydersius curse you all!! You shall fall to his poison and be dissolved in his stomach!" she screams and another wave of life-sucking energy is drawn from each of the group. The snake mouth opens and sucks in the most energy from Lalarlia, but even that is not a lot.

Spoiler: NE damage

Show

All damage is NE damage.
Saved: Ankarum (3), Aron (1), Erin (1), Gelik (3), Jask (3), Pezock (4), Stephan (4)
Failed: Lalarlia (5)

R4T22: Erin goes to stab with her magic dagger again, but the snake form knocks her attack away.

R4T21: Lalarlia just laughs once she catches her breath and again lets loose with her own energy to wash over the group. All of the wounds on the party have disappeared.

R4T20: Stephan swings again with his sword with incredible power, hitting only because of the teamwork of others (bless and flanking with Pezock). Mother Thrunefang puts up her arm to try and protect her, but Stephan's sword cleaves through her forearm and deep into her head. Black ichor spatters, and a long gurgling sound is heard with her incredibly long tongue whipping about. She twitches horribly and quicly in full-body spasms, until the glow around Stephan disappears.

A few seconds later, her glowing snake form disappears and you simply have a terribly maimed lacedon on the ground.

Combat Ends!

[lostsole31]

A casting of detect magic on the area and a careful sweep merely notes that the only magic are an amulet and a ring worn by the destroyed Mother.

"Allow me," says Gelik to Lalarlia. "Your pointy ears are like grounding rods for magical knowledge, but a simple spell is better."

Gelik takes out an incredibly tiny vial of purple-red liquid, opens the stopper, and swirls it around with a tiny feather. He then studies the objects. "This amulet with the thick-scaled square helps toughen the hide and flesh to help stop weapons when armor isn't enough. This silver ring with the aquan designs increases one's skill in swimming. Let's take these things back and figure out what to do."

The rest of the caverns are checked, and it is determined that the tunnels heading out underwater are merely sea caves heading to the sea (which also gives a sense of how far down you have come; it was deceptive). The party heads up, and you travel back to Aycenia's tree, feeling proud that a major threat has been dealt with.

"At least now," says Lalarlia, "no waiting creature in the dark shall spring upon any possible liberators come to investigate."

Discussion is given to whom should best get the ring or amulet.

Spoiler: Items

Show

Amulet
* Ankarum already received magic bracers to help him with defense, despite not wearing armor. The amulet is considered to be about the same level of protection, but of a different nature.
* Aron has armor, shield, is fast on her feet, and is skilled at defense.
* Erin is similar, and a spell she has can make a very powerful shield effect.
* Gelik desperately wants the amulet. He has no armor, a simple buckler, and really has only his small size and speed to help him. If ambushed, he is in true peril. Besides, the mere studying such an artifact interests him.
* Jask is even a little less well-defended, but he can cast the same spell as Erin that is like an incredibly powerful shield.
* Lalarlia is the most heavily armored and she isn't interested in it.
* Pezock is similar to Erin, though he is interested .... because he is paranoid.
* Now that he has some armor, and a buckler when he needs it, Stephan is more than willing to allow Gelik to have the amulet.

Ring
* Ankarum has only the most basic swimming skill, diminished in his armor.
* Aron doesn't know how to swim.
* Erin knows just enough on how to swim, like Ankarum, but her strength and lack of armor help her.
* Gelik doesn't know how to swim, and he jokes that he'd look like a wet rat. But he complains that his small size, weak arms, and lack of skill would doom him in a bathtub without the magic ring.
* Jask doesn't know how to swim. Without real training and having weak arms from age, he laughs and says that while the ring might be helpful, it is likely to be "lost at sea."
* Lalarlia doesn't know how to swim, and Gelik says that the ring has no chance of overcoming her armor.
* Pezock knows how to swim. Not incredibly, but well enough. He sees no need to go splashing around in the water in the near future.
* Stephan has already proven himself the best swimmer. Jask says that while it might seem like overkill, anyone else would not be given enough of an advantage for very strong waves. If Stephan gets the ring, with his training he can swim places that others cannot. Gelik does NOT like this and complains, but Lalarlia shuts him down.

Any RP for Ankarum?

[Blackhawk101]

Ankarum hates snakes, but hates ...pant...dead snake things ...pant, pant ...even more!

[Blackhawk101]

Ankarum is glad dead snake thing is dead...er. Friends can have treasure. Snake temple needs to be destroyed after rest. This is known.
Ankarum settles down with some fruit and whistles for his monkey companion, Bob.

[lostsole31]

The question is raised in camp as to whether or not the strange Captain Ekubus should be approached again or not.

What is Ankarum's input?

[Blackhawk101]

Cap'n Ekubus is done with us. We don't need him. This tribe is strong; Fights well. Snake witch will pay for what she did.

[lostsole31]

DAY 76

The party decamps to Red Mountain. As before, four stone monoliths appearing as jagged stalagmites of rock protrude from the grass at the edge of the bluff. A weathered, snakelike rune is carved into the inner face of each of these stones, all facing a three-foot-high pyramid-shaped block of stone at the center of the four surrounding spires. The vegetation and soil surrounding this pyramid has been trimmed back and excavated to expose the strange block fully to view. The peak of the central pyramid has a cup-shaped indentation -- channels run down the four sides into empty basins at the base of the pyramid. The four monoliths seem to hum and vibrate slightly to the touch. The casters each use magic to figure out what type of magic it might be. Jask, who has become something of Ankarum's unofficial tutor, mentions that the magic is a type that changes things, usually physical, and in this case it is powerful and seems to affect water somehow. The scholarly types study the scene for a little bit.

When it's time to figure out the long climb down, that is when Ankarum, Stephan, and Gelik notice that they don't see the tide pools. The water level is much higher, some 20' higher, which entirely covers the area below ... including the temple doors and the remains of the Salty Strumpet. The waves slam against the area below as would be expected, and Ankarum is sure that if there are doors, they must be closed. They were massive, and the idea that the party could break through them or force them open .... especially underwater .... is ludicrous.

Lalarlia nods. "Well, we know that this is probably a Tide Stone that pushes back the water, to 'command the tides to rise up,' - as in rise up and back - 'and eschew what lies below.' Which, of course, would be what Ankarum's team found earlier. So, now we need to crack the riddle. I'm loath to call upon the snake god at that."

As the group discusses the ways to best to deal with the Tide Stone concerning blood sacrifice, pure metal, and the like, a minute later tremendous bolts of lightning arc up into the sky from the surrounding monoliths. Ankarum, Aron, Jask, and Pezock are all temporarily deafened, but no one more than 45 seconds (the middle-aged, non-combatant wizard, of course). Once the ringing in the ears are gone, the four hear what the others are already hearing, and everyone peers over the side. The rumbling thunder from Crab Lagoon (which Gelik came to call it when describing the place) as the waters roil and recede is even more impressive. The level of water in the entire lagoon lowers 20', exposing rocks, flopping fish, and several sunken ships to the air (including the Salty Strumpet). Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is the large stone doors of the temple slowly and noisily grind open as the waters recede.

With the long coils of spliced, knotted rope, and by tying off and lowering Jask (who is so weak there is a danger he might not be able to hold on), the party manages to make it safely down the 100' descent. You see the waterfall. In addition, there is seaweed, sea urchins of all colors, bright green anemones, scuttling kelp crabs (numerous enough that is why Gelik named the place Crab Lagoon), and bare rock glistening here. The party has to slow down and walk carefully or possibly slip and fall, hurting themselves on the uneven rocks of the tide pool .... or in one place falling into a pool of water where Ankarum noticed something swimming around before (he doesn't see it now). Below, a large portion of the rope is unspliced and carried along, just in case.

The party carefully crosses the sloped, algae-slickened deck of the Salty Strumpet to the other side. Gelik whines that he wished he could actually see inside the ship to look for any "historical curiosities for a dedicated explorer."

Finally as before, two stone doors stand open at the base of the cliff above a curling spur of rock. Seaweed covers the doors, hanging down in thick green and black sheets, just obscuring some sort of carvings on the surface. The seaweed had already been peeled and scraped away (courtesy of the last expedition), and the religious scholars take a look. Since they are no longer seeing crude drawings secondhand via Gelik (who stands back with no clue of the hideous markings), they are disgusted and fascinated. Ankarum and Stephan stand guard. The brilliant old cleric of a god that holds knowledge in high regard is unable to make heads or tails of the profane marks. Lalarlia seeks insight in a short prayer and is even more stymied.

Finally, Aron says, "Allow me ten minutes to watch the birds, and I will try." She doesn't go "into a trance," but just comfortably takes in the salt air and watches the birds go to and fro. After that time period she walks over to the doors, says a short incantation and then she does briefly go into a trance.

"Blood..." the seer says cryptically and slowly and it is in a way that is creepy enough to silence everyone. "Sacrifice .... cannibalism ... ancient horrors and betrayal."

She slowly opens her eyes. "There is a cult which is whispered to exist, though the style of the carvings are quite ancient and unusual from what little of the current I briefly and in passing read when in religious studies at the Grand Lodge. It is the cult of Zura, the demon lord of vampires and cannibalism. This blood-red, fanged skull embossed with runes that you see here ... here ... and here ... is her symbol. She is believed to be the first vampire in all of creation. Supposedly, she was an ancient Azlanti queen who possessed so powerful a lust for eternal life she eventually resorted to feeding on her own kind. Let us take great care to use here name sparingly lest from the bowels of the Abyss itself she is enticed to visit a non-undead mortal that foolishly and accidentally calls upon her."

Everyone, including the savage (and likely superstitious) Ankarum feels a chill in their bones from Aron's recounting, but it is momentary and it is time to head inside. Light spells are passed around as before, including one on Ankarum's shield. [It is important to note that the front of the shield is not an object, the spell makes the entire shield light up.]

"You know, Aron," says Gelik, "if we can get a complete map of this temple, not to mention of its location at Smuggler's Shiv, it would be of great value to the Society."

Aron nods her head. "You don't find anything like this even on 'standard ancient' excavations and explorations."

Now inside the large sanctum, whose heights are lost even to the sharp-eyed elf-blooded and tengu, await. The battle is described again by Gelik, who points to the pile of bones from one of the skeletons that fell. Aron once again briefly trances over the remains. "Strange. Now that we know a little of what we're dealing with in Ieana, insomuch as she seems to be one of the legendary serpentfolk, it now seems that this creature was something like that. I get the faintest glimpses of devolved members of the race, or those who were raised as a warrior caste. This one was such a warrior whose duties continued even beyond death."

As she seems to have more of a sense of the underground and what the party might be dealing with, and her natural charisma, Aron steps out of her role as silent partner, and though humbly she is the one that the party is now looking to for guidance in the temple.

"We may have to deal with the bridge above where you said they first attacked, but first let's check this entire place. Let's not touch the double doors to the south yet."

Of the four alcoves to the northwest, Stephan discovers a poorly hidden trap door in the floor. With a fantastic feat of strength he manages to pry it open. A gust of foul-smelling, stale (but breathable) air rushes up from a hole that appears to drop down 20 feet.

"I think I hear a faint rattle, as if of shaken bones, from somewhere down below," caws Pezock.