#108 - Serpentine Strife

The battle raged on. Aleae, by the quixotic magic of the Wand of Wander, was not present to comment or interfere with the arrival of the earth elemental.

As the PCs pressed their attacks, alternately helped and hindered by the swiveling anti-magic eye, the elemental—which Simel commanded—turned its efforts unsubtly against armored prison of Arafin the naga. In short order, Arafin was freed—though it was clear she had sustained much abuse—and Magnus and Cypher both worked to remove the metal binding that kept her from speaking or using magic. The antimagic weakened the metal, and Cypher at least tore it away.

She rose to her considerable height, wounded but noble, clearly bowed under the weight of many indignities. Her scales were an iridescent green, her face an almost metallic bronze, her hair long and black, and she spoke as one accustomed to being served. Though, she did thank the PCs for rescuing her and was quick to cast a healing spell upon Magnus (who often appears to be trying to evacuate his veins).

With the help of the druid Izzeth—the others recognized druidic magic from their time with Dar—Wynn, Magnus, Cypher, Simel, and Clarion slew their foes except for the two nagas. The female shouted in the Draconic tongue to her companion that they must flee, but the male was stubborn and refused to abandon their anti-magic toy to the trespassers. While the female retreated outright into a side passage, the male lingered. The PCs pressed their advantage, and even the earth elemental was sent stomping across the chamber to kill him. Immortality apparently emboldened him, but in short order, he was slain at last. The coils of his body dropped heavily to the ground, and the female was nowhere to be seen.

Some of the PCs wished to give chase, though Arafin warned that she was spent of her magic and needed rest to help. Clarion produced some light and offered to help lead Simel into the passages beyond.

Then everyone felt a sudden tremor, and the distant and primal, fearsome sound of falling rock. Izzeth recognized the sound of a cave-in from the direction they were going, and Arafin, horrified, called everyone to move back! When the sound subsided, the tremors ceased, and the dust rolled in, they found that the passages where they were attempting to pursue the female naga has been utterly collapsed but that the area of effects was limited due to the positioning of the anti-magic ray. Evidently whatever had caused the cave-in had intended to bury the PCs as well. Yet no further threat presented itself…for now.

In the brief period of rest that followed, Simel set the earth elemental to guard them. She explained locally what was going on down here:

The spirit nagas who’d held her captive were named Lanün (the brown-scaled male, now slain) and Myalla (the purple-and-blue-scaled female, likely slain by the cave-in). As nagas, they would be reborn—according to Arafin, this could range from many hours to several days. Their slain bodies would wither away and somewhere nearby, they would manifest again. Several dark nagas (a lesser species, according to Arafin), some of which the PCs had faced before (and two of which has been killed recently) served Lanün and Myalla, and all of the nagas were served by a community of deep-dwelling kobolds that lived in the the narrow warrens running through these chambers.

According to those who know about the Overlords,
undeath itself is the product of Katashka's evil.

There was a third and more dangerous naga, however, named Hothyr—a water-dwelling variety of greater size, strength, and magic. He was to the spirit nagas, in human terms, something akin to an old uncle. They deferred to him. Izzeth spoke up and said that he’d recently awoken in the lair of this one, Hothyr, but he had escaped. According to Izzeth, Hothyr and his own monsters—kobolds and tunnel worms called gricks—were well aware of him and would not likely be surprised. Indeed, they might expect an ambush if the group chose to confront him. Arafin did say that Hothyr’s lair would contain what they were after: the Scepter of Glyphstone (the item Irakas, the hobgoblin dirgesinger had asked them to recover). She would help them, if this is what they decided, but she preferred that they rest for a great deal longer so she could regain her strength and her spells. Quite matter-of-factly, she said she expected to be killed if they pressed on now.

Although she was happy to help the PCs take on Hothyr and reclaim the scepter, she addressed the larger problem: The arrival of the rakshasa known as Avashad and the many enemies he’d brought to Glyphstone. The most recent was the vampire, Trazzen, with whom some of the PCs were already acquainted. Wherever Avashad installed servants, the undead were always to be found, for he served the great demon rajah Katashka.

The first (and most common) Gatekeepers are orcs
and half-orcs. But the sect, while small, also includes
shifters, humans, and the occasional elf-blood.

Arafin was vague on the timeline, but it sounded as though Avashad had come some time ago and installed his allies within the lower dungeons of Glyphstone Keep. Avashad’s servants joined with the spirits nagas and this shifted the balance of power between the nagas of Glyphstone. Arafin was taken captive (killing her would only lead to her rebirth), while her mate, Loravin, a male guardian naga, was taken by Avashad himself. She fears that he has been transformed into something unnatural, possibly even undead. Arafin’s only caveat in helping the PCs is that they aid her in rescuing—or, if necessary, destroying whatever Loravin has become. Undeath is the worst fate for an immortal Arafin would rather her mate be destroyed than endure in such a form.

The strange eye-device that created the anti-magic effect was something Magnus and Cypher took much interest in, though Izzeth seemed disgusted by it. Arafin said that they would not be able to make prolonged use of it, for it required maintenance of some kind—which included bathing it in "Hothyr's pool." The eye appeared to resemble that of a beholder's, but it was clearly disembodied and kept functioning.

During their talk, Izzeth explained that he was one of the Gatekeepers, a druidic sect that only Cypher and Magnus had heard of before—their former companion Cyzicus had been affiliated with them. He had come to Glyphstone with two companions, but both had been killed by their enemies. One of them had even been devoured by the naga Hothyr. Izzeth wanted revenge.

The group decided after some discussion that they sorely needed to rest more than a single hour before pressing on. It was a risk, as there were many enemies to be found. Arafin said, though, that the arrangement between the evil nagas and Avashad’s group was not one of partnership; they were not working together, but had merely made allowances for one another and agreed to combat common foes (such as the PCs!).

Cypher, meanwhile, had become quieter than usual. Talk of Gatekeepers seemed to make him so.