Grizz realises that the battle you are fighting is unwinnable, so uses his firbolg ability to briefly turn invisible, and while invisible transforms into a small spider. He then climbs up to the ceiling and begins the slow trek to find a way out of the complex. Meanwhile Trayzeal stands in a doorway for a heroic last stand, but is quickly cut down. Shmesh also fights to the last but without success. Orvex has taken off his clothes and stands with the slaves, hoping to fool the yuan-ti, but he cannot stop darting his eyes around and is easy to spot as an interloper. He is also cut down. Grizz finds his way out of the complex. On the way out he is shocked to see just how many enemies are trying to get to you all, and he also sees the petrified b'Urp being transported into the fane. He can see clearly that he has no chance of defeating his foe, so leaves the complex to start searching for Besh and Thazma. He finds the city above swarming with yuan-ti, so wraps a shroud of shadow and misdirection around him and looks for places that his companions may be. Meanwhile Besh and Thazma are moving through the city, but they have spotted yuan-ti everywhere. They know they need to get somewhere safe. Besh directs Thazma to a tower where they have camped before since it provides and excellent view of the area around. However it is already inhabited. In the tower sleeps a human warrior who appears to be alone. Thazma suggests that they slice his throat, but Besh decides to wake him and talk. After a brief standoff it appears that the warrior is also looking for the soulmonger so they decide to join forces. His name is Javlin and he has been sent by the shadow council of waterdeep as part of a party of adventurers who have been tasked with ending the death curse. He has lost his companions and was feeling very aware of his own mortality so is pleased to join with others. After about an hour they are joined by Grizz who was searching previous campsites to try and find his companions. They rest for the remainder of the night, watching the city closely in case they are spotted by the Yuan-ti. Grizz has a horrible nightmare in the night, almost more real than reality. Grizz-Lee's Nightmare: You dream you are back at the entrance to the tomb of the nine gods. The obelisk cracks and falls revealing a demon within. It transforms into three almiraj which all run in different directions. Two run into the tunnels you had looked at and another runs into the bushes at the base of a cliff. Meanwhile, b'Urp suddenly finds himself in a different space. Four pillars support the vaulted ceiling, and steps ascend to an iron throne carved in the likeness of a hydra. Painted on the wall behind it is a large blue triangle. To the south, an engraved stone disk is set into the floor of an alcove. A ten-foot-wide opening in the east wall leads to a flooded cave and a 10 foot wide passage to the west leads to engraved stone double doors. b'Urp is being held tightly by four yuan-ti, one of whom is the largest yuan-ti b'Urp has seen and even though he is armoured it is obvious how muscular he is. However b'Urp's attention is captured by the figure on the throne. A once powerful figure, this yuan-ti appears to be rotting away. The bandages covering him do not hide the leprous wounds eating away his flesh and he holds himself like he is constant pain. Despite this, the power and magical ability he has radiates off him. This is a being that has seen much and knows more. "I invited you here to ask you some questions", the figure begins to talk is a raspy voice filled with pain, "but you choose to sneak in like thieves in the night, kill my followers and defile my temple. You will suffer for your deeds, but first you will tell me what I want to know. Why do you seek the puzzle boxes from the temples of the dead gods? How would this aid you? Do you seek to stop the coming of the serpent? You cannot, the summoning of Dendar is but weeks away and he will devour all you know." "I apologise for the misunderstanding", replies b'Urp, "It appears we came in the wrong entrance. We did not come seeking trouble, but were attacked by your followers. A mistake on both sides I am sure. However that does not answer your question. We seek the puzzle boxes as we believe that they are the key to entering the temple built by Acererak in the cliffs to the north of Omu". "I know of Acererak", Ras Nsi interrupts, "he has helped me many times and I owe him many debts. Why would you go against my ally? Is my temple and the temples of the trickster gods not enough? Would you also choose to defile the tomb of the nine gods, built by Acererak to preserve the memories of Omu? Is your goal to destroy all of the history of Omu?" "Oh not at all", exclaims b'Urp, "we merely seek to destroy a curse that is affecting the world. It is called the Death Curse and it is slowly killing any being who has been resurrected. Not only that, the device that is the cause of the death curse is devouring the souls of those it kills. We believe it won't be very long until it starts killing those who have not been resurrected. When that happens no-one shall remain". "What is the name of this device?", asks Ras Nsi, his mood suddenly changing, "I need to think on what you have told me". "The device is called the soulmonger", replies b'Urp and then falls silent. b'Urp stands patiently for some time as Ras Nsi considers all he has been told. Eventually Ras Nsi fixes his eyes back on b'Urp. "You deserve to die, little grung, but you are not like the rest of your kind and your words hold the ring of truth. I will give you the last of the puzzle boxes you seek and you will take a small contingent of my followers to enter the temple of the nine gods with you. Your companions will also be returned to you and you shall be given time to recover from your ordeals. Have you anything to say?" "T-thank you," b'Urp stammers. "Take this grung to Fenthaza and tell her to lend this grung and his companions her quarters. I would have them fully rested and then returned to me with their equipment. They will present themselves to me then they will leave to find the cure to this death curse." b'Urp finds himself taken through incense filled rooms with scenes of blood and horror and to a comfortable room. He meets Fenthaza who is told of Ras Nsi's orders. She sneers at the grung. "So, Ras Nsi finally knows what is killing him. It is too late though, he will not survive another week and you will help me in his demise. I will do as he says and return your companions to you. When you are presented to Ras Nsi you will kill him. You have proven your power already and he is weakening by the day. I would move against him if it were not likely to stir up antipathy against me. If you kill him it will not be connected to me and I will reward you with many items of power that will assist you in your goals. "No thank you", replies b'Urp, "we have made a deal with your master and I intend to keep it. "Let me rephrase that", growls Fenthaza, "Ras Nsi will, no doubt, send you with yuan-ti that are loyal to me in order to remove them from the Fane and to reduce my influence. If you do not kill Ras Nsi, you will not leave this complex alive and Ras Nsi will simply assume you failed in your task. You have seen that you cannot win in a fight against yuan-ti. Do as I tell you or die". "Oh. Well in that case I accept your proposal", says b'Urp. "Wait here, I shall fetch your companions", says Fenthaza. Orvex awakes from a terrible nightmare to the sound of rattling chains. He awakes in confusion. His dream was so real that the terrible situation he finds himself seems like a nightmare itself. The stench of sweat fills the humid air. He is chained to the wall of a dank, partially flooded pit. Other prisoners whimper nearby, lit by faint torchlight from the hole above. The nightmare floods back through his head. Orvex's nightmare: You stand in a green field with a blue sky above. A small snake emerges from the grass and it is as black as solid darkness. The snake begins growing and quickly grows large enough to encircle the world. The snake snaps it's mighty jaws devouring the world and placing it in neverending darkness. The scene changes. A bleeding heart hangs above the jungle. Inside you see a small city where red wizards gather in a large building. At the head of a table you see Valindra Shadowmantle talking to the wizards. She is obviously angry. She points directly at you and as she does the flesh falls from her bones revealing a skeletal robed figure. At hearing the other people in the pit he starts talking and finds that there are several people down there with him, including a young boy. They are all scared at the sound of the chains as the pit opening means someone will be removed and the torture and labours they endure are worse than being chained in a pit. They explain that some of the slaves never return and that some do, but transformed into yuan-ti and just as cruel as the others of their kind. Trayzeal and Shmesh also wake in the same pit from horrific nightmares. Orvex, Trayzeal and Shmesh find themselves being dragged up out of the pit. They are weak and naked. They are taken to Fenthazers quarters where they are re-united with b'Urp who explains the situation. Trayzeal is of the opinion that Fenthaza will turn on them if they kill Ras Nsi, but is also aware that they will also be killed if they don't. Trayzeal tells of his nightmare. It starts with the same world devouring snake, but then the dream changes: Trayzeal's Nightmare: Green smoke billows out from a bronze cauldron in the middle of this twenty-foot-high vaulted hall. Barely visible through the haze are three rocking chairs, several work benches heaped with haberdashery, a spinning wheel, and a rusty iron cage containing a prisoner. In the chairs you see three hags, sewing bags. One has gold coins covering her eyes and ants crawl in and out of her mouth. Another wears a string of chattering children's teeth and a heavy peg leg. When she laughs, yellow gas billows out of her nose and ears.. The last has a squirming leather sack sewn over her head. They are arguing with each other, but suddenly stop and face you. The one with a peg leg talks to you. "Hmmm. I see we might have a visitor soon. Well, well, you are a handsome one. If you have a gift for me then we will owe you a favour when you need it. We don't want much, just a lock of your hair. What do you say?". Trayzeal agrees to the trade and the peg legged hag approaches and cuts off a lock of hair with her knife. At telling this story, Trayzeal checks his hair. There is a small patch where his hair has been cut. The same spot as in the dream. Eventually you all fall asleep in Fenthaza's chambers. You have nightmares but only b'Urp remembers his. You awake fully refreshed as if no horror had befallen you the previous day. b'Urp's Nightmare: The dream starts with a familiar dream of a serpent of darkness devouring the world. The scene then changes. The air reeks of sulphur and brimstone. You are in a large stone chamber. On the floor of this chamber, a pentagram traced in salt surrounds an ornate sarcophagus, its lid covered with figurines of prancing grung. The lid moves and falls onto the ground and you see an egg in the open sarcophagus. The egg hatches and a baby grung emerges. She grows and matures to a unbelievably beautiful female grung. Your urges take control and you mate with her. However as you mate she continues to age. She turns to you and says "B'urp, I have been dead for many years. You can restore me. Find me and take me to Dungrunglung. I will teach the grung that new ways are needed." With that the old wrinkled grung dies. You pull away and drop her in disgust as she turns to dust which flows all around you, causing you to involuntarily breath in her remains. You are awakened by Fenthaza and her lackies bringing your equipment back. You get ready and then are led to an audience with Ras Nsi. Ras Nsi waves Fenthaza and her lackies away and then addresses you. "So, now I get to meet the rest of your group", says Ras Nsi "No, there are two not here yet", replies Trayzeal, "What have you done with them?" "I do not know of two others", says Ras Nsi, "curious but no matter. You will need to do without them. On to the matter at hand...." While Ras Nsi is talking Trayzeal has been scanning the room. He notes that there is a lever on the throne of Ras Nsi, and on the throne behind Ras Nsi is the last puzzle box. He draws his sword and launches himself at Ras Nsi. Ras Nsi, suddenly realising he has been betrayed starts to draw his own sword, but his pain and infirmity has slowed him down too much and he is unable to deflect the blow. Trayzeals sword strikes true and Ras Nsi falls to the ground dead. The room erupts in chaos, with Ras Nsi's guards immediately on the offence. One of them quickly heads west to sound the alarm. Orvex also heads west to avoid being in the middle of the melee, but as the running guard opens the door yelling betrayal, Orvex sees Fenthaza standing on sculptured balcony perches atop five rearing stone serpents. From the mouths of the serpents, blood pours into a pool below. She is in front of a large crowd of yuan-ti who are chanting. When Fenthaza hears the guard she turns to the crowd and says something that Orvex does not understand but the intention is clear. She has ordered a temple full of yuan-ti to kill them. You need to escape. While b'Urp is kicking and punching guards Trayzeal grabs Ras Nsi's word and the puzzle box and then pulls the lever on the throne. Immediately some panels behind the throne open and ghouls spill out into the room, biting at any creature near them. b'Urp climbs to the ceiling and then out above the water. Trayzeal follows and jumps into the water, swimming south as fast as he can. As they exit they see Orvex arrive at the edge of the water and hesitate jumping in. "What about the hydra", he exclaims, but is cut down from behind. Further back Trayzeal and b'Urp see Smesh fall also. One broodguard leaps into the water behind them so they move south as fast as they can, b'Urp on the ceiling and Trayzeal swimming. It soon appears obvious that the broodguard is faster and it attacks Trayzeal in the water. Trayzeal tries to fight back, but fighting with a sword in the water is not a simple task. He climbs quickly out of the water and onto the rough hewn walls and uses his climbing skills to move quickly along the wall. The broodguard follows in the water, but suddenly five serpentine heads appear in the water and rip the broodguard to pieces. The pieces are then dragged back under the water. "Let's not get back in the water", whispers Trayzeal to b'Urp. You continue around the water. Trayzeal can see fine in the dark but it gets harder and harder for b'Urp to navigate. Until suddenly off to the west you see light spill out of an opening doorway onto a beach with two burned boats. You have found your way back to the secret entrance from the city. However out of the door spills yuan-ti with bows drawn accompanied by broodguard and other serpentine creatures. You both duck into a alcove. The enemy move out across the beach, looking out in your direction. They are obviously looking to stop you getting to the exit.
