Fortress of the Yuan-Ti
At the balcony level, a quick search of the areas they had not yet been to revealed a number of rooms that were obviously used as barracks for the common soldiers of the keep.
Continuing upward they found themselves in the largest room they had yet to find. The strange electric glow of two more of the portals cast light on the four massive columns that supported the ceiling of this chamber. To the east, multiple serpentine statues stood in niches along the north and south walls and the room was crossed by rows of massive pillars. In the center of the chamber stood a three tiered ziggurat of what appeared to be black marble. The air in the room was desert-dry and carried a foul scent. On either side of the ziggurat, a set of stairs led to the tops of two towers that stood within the massive chamber as well.
Wencis and Frankie moved to inspect the ziggurat as Celtir and Bootsy each climbed the steps to the two towers. As they approached, a palpable sense of dread seemed to radiate from the ziggurat. Seen up close, the structure’s black marble walls were shot through with veins of dark red and its surface glistened slightly. From the tops of the towers Bootsy and Celtir could see the top the ziggurat.
“There’s something small on top of it,” Celtir called down. “It’s small… Leather or cloth maybe?”
Bootsy squinted over the side of the low railing of his tower toward the top of the ziggurat. “They’re bracers, or Frankie’s mother is a Gnome.” Before Frankie could object, Bootsy looked down at the Dwarf and called out, “Sure as she’s a gods damned Dwarf! Is that better?”
Down below, Frankie looked to Wencis, shrugged his shoulders and both just shook their heads.
As the companions regrouped at the bottom of the ziggurat, they discussed options. Bootsy went so far as to touch the large structure. “It gives a little. Kind of feels… Fleshy. I don’t think I could climb it. ”
Bootsy was about to dig out his rope to try to snag the item up above, when Wencis made a suggestion. “I have the ability to shape my soul energy into sandals that would allow me to walk on the air for a short period of time. I could go up and get them that way.”
The companions looked at each other and then looked at Wencis. As one they burst out laughing. “Sandals?” Bootsy cried out between guffaws. “What the hell kind of Fairy-
ing magic do you use exactly?”
Wencis looked a little embarrassed. “Look, my abilities are gifted by the divine. I don’t choose their forms. I just utilize the powers to the best of my ability.”
As the laughter dropped to just snickering and giggling, Frankie patted him on the shoulder. “T’is true, your powers have been very useful and you have truly contributed to our successes. But I think our next quest should be one to find you a manlier source of power.”
Assuming the good natured ribbing and laughter was not going to stop anytime soon, Wencis quickly called upon his innate powers and rose into the air.
When he returned Bootsy stepped forward to examine his find. “Well, it would seem that these bracers were once magical, but whatever power they had has been drained from them somehow, by some power of the ziggurat perhaps. It breaks my heart to see such waste.”
Continuing upwards, the companions found themselves on a large balcony overlooking the area they had just left.
“Well, there are always those glowing portals,” suggested Wencis.
Bootsy shook his head, “Before we get too hasty, let’s reexamine some of the places we’ve been. We can start here.” Spreading out, the companions started to search the walls.
After about a half an hour of searching Bootsy finally found something of interest. “Over here! There’s a seam along the wall here. I bet it’s a secret door." A brief search revealed the opening mechanism and the door was quickly opened. The passageway beyond branched almost immediately. It sloped down to the east and apparently dead ended to the west.
Bootsy moved to the west, “I don’t buy that. Who would go through all the trouble to build a passage that goes nowhere?”
A quick search revealed another secret door.
The walls of the room beyond were covered with etched images of huge serpents feasting on entire castles and villages of terrified humanoids. Other than the frescoes there was only another of the crackling green portals and a set of stairs leading down.
Seeing nothing of interest within the room the companions started down the stairs. Not too far down, they came to a small landing where the stair continued down, just after a door set in the wall that would apparently allow entry to the center of the tower.
As they were about to move to inspect the doors a hooting shriek echoed throughout the stairwell. Coming up the stairs below, bouncing from wall to wall, came three corpse-pale baboons with burning eyes. Their fur was falling out in patches from taught flesh and their gaunt muzzles flashed jagged teeth as they attacked.
Bootsy was first to act and he burned the first two baboons with two Scorching Rays. The creatures quickly closed the distance and bit both Frankie and Bootsy. Both of the companions were weakened as negative energy flowed through them. A positive energy burst from Celtir burned at the flesh of the three baboons while simultaneously healing his injured companions. One of the creatures that had already been hit with the Scorching Ray collapsed into a pile of dust. Of the remaining two, one was killed by two quick axe blows from Frankie and the other fell to an electrically charged hammer thrown by Wencis.
Turning to the door, the companions found it locked. A few blows from Frankie were all it took to force the doors open. Beyond, chains suspended a coiled serpentine idol of polished brass from the ceiling of what must have been a religious sanctuary. Rows of cushions covered the floor in concentric circles surrounding the hanging idol as if worshipers were meant to look up at it in prayer.
Even as the companions took in the features of the room, two serpentine skeletons lurched toward them. From above, they heard a hissed incantation. A Yuan-Ti Pureblood clad in black robes edged with green serpents was perched atop the statue. A dark beam lanced down and sapped Frankie’s strength, leaving him exhausted. Only a moment later a small bead flew into the room and blossomed into a ball of fire just below the Yuan-Ti, burning him and the skeletons within the chamber.
Celtir quickly moved up and launched two arrows at the Yuan-Ti, dropping him from his perch on the idol. Axe blows from Frankie and a charged hammer from Wencis smashed into the skeleton who quickly returned the attacks, slashing with scimitars and biting at the two companions. A positive energy burst from Celtir quickly followed, burning at the skeletons and causing one of them to flee to the back of the room. With the Pureblood mage dead and one of the skeletons cowering, the companions quickly finished the undead creatures.
Gathering what they found on the dead Yuan-Ti, they continued down the stairs. Shortly they came to another landing, identical to the last. Once again the companions had to force the door open.
The companions were momentarily stunned by the horrors within. Foul art objects, demonic weapons, bloodstained bones, severed hands and standards bearing sigils of chaos and evil lined the walls on all sides. Along the far wall a number of prisoners, including Clora, stood manacled, their faces masks of terror and despair. Next to a stone slab in the center of the room, a female prisoner fought desperately against another human woman in hide armor and blood-hued ceremonial robes. The prisoner was unarmed but the cultist raised a rusted dagger. Once again one of their enemies suffered the terrible combination of Frankie’s axe and Wencis’ Hammer only to be fried by both of Bootsy’s Scorching Rays. She had barely had time to acknowledge their presence before she was struck down.
While the others gathered what they could, Bootsy approached the woman who had been wrestling with the cultist. “So you definitely are not one of the villagers. Who are you and what brings you here?”
“My name is Arzaezra. I am an explorer and adventurer who has come to this valley accidentally. I am more than ready to leave it.”
Satisfied with this simple explanation, the companions armed her and the slaves with what they could and then took the time to show them all the way out.
Once outside, as Arzaezra was walking away, Celtir felt something wiggle out of his pack and poke him on the back of the neck. He looked to see it was Tristan, still in the form of a tiny viper, that was poking him and motioning in the direction of Arzaezra. He called it to the attention of the others. “I wonder what’s got him all worked up?” None of them could figure it out, so they ignored him and Tristan eventually crawled back into the pack, a frustrated look on his serpentine face.
They returned to find a door at the bottom of the tower. Beyond they found a room very similar to the one at the top of the tower, though only half its size. Within they saw one of the stone archways that usually were lit with electrical activity, though this one was silent and showed only a stone filled archway.
At Wencis’ suggestion they returned to the two active portals they had found at the top of the fortress. After a short discussion, it was decided they would go through the southern gate.
Putting on one of the cultists robes Bootsy turned to his companions, “Give me a few seconds before you burst through. Let’s see if we can catch anyone on the other side off guard.”
When Bootsy passed through the portal he found he had been transported into an oddly shaped room that resembled a distended triangle. Five doors lined the walls and a large pit opened up in the middle of the floor. He also found himself next to a large hideous figure. The figure was humanoid from the waist up but serpentine below. Its body was a patchwork of scales and leathery skin – some dried and shriveled, some bloody and raw.
Rolling with a punch from the creature, Bootsy came to his feet about ten feet away. Now fully aware of the creature’s great strength, he carefully cast a Scorching Ray at the creature and was disappointed when he saw the flames wash over it harmlessly. A moment later, Frankie came through and was surprised when the creature punched him on the shoulder knocking him to the side. On his heels came Wencis who managed to dodge to the opposite side and then Celtir who tumbled past Frankie and was able to step away from the large creature.
The first thing they noticed was how tough the creature was. The one-two punch from Frankie’s axe and Wencis’ hammer barely left a scratch on the creature. Celtir's arrows also barely punctured the creatures flesh and Bootsy’s magic continued to wash over the creature harmlessly.
The companions shared a look that said, “We might be in trouble,” and then they got to work. Wencis and Frankie accepted the punishing blows from the creature, keeping it away from Celtir so he could use his bow, and away from Bootsy, who fell back to throwing oil at the creature. Only their skills were keeping them alive, rolling with the punches to lessen the impact. Trying to find a form of magic that might affect it, Bootsy noted, after casting Acid Arrow, that the creature was apparently healed by acid.
After almost a full minute of ducking, weaving and striking, the creature was finally starting to falter, but so were Frankie and Wencis. Celtir raised his holy symbol and called upon Solonor, healing everyone’s wounds. This was what saved the companions, Celtir’s ability to heal his companions while the large creature was unaffected by the positive burst. Finally, the amount of damage was too great and the creature was defeated.
End of Session 14.
