#109 - Lair of the Water Naga

From the Journal of Clarion Tritone, Champion of Dol Arrah, Vassal of the Sovereign Host 

Arafin had an air about her which was alike to what I felt in the presence of the wizard lords of Arcanix. Her demeanor was akin to that of a queen. Yet the suffering she had endured within and indubitably witnessed from the metallic cage that had her pinned to the wall in one of the corners of these unusual and twisted halls had unquestionably left deep marks in her scaled skin and soul. The loss of her eternal companion, not to death—which understandably had little meaning to these immortal beings than to most souls—but to undeath seemed to cast the greatest sadness upon her. Certainly, we would do what she asked and ensure that he will be restored to his former self if in any way possible or lain to eternal rest if necessary.

And old adventurer's drawing
of a guardian naga (like Arafin).

While we were waiting within the impenetrable bubble that would ensure that we could fully rest before this upcoming battle we spoke very little. Aleae returned to us, released from the erratic "captivity" of her Wand of Wonder. Even after introducing Izzeth to her, she regarded him with—if not with disdain, then perhaps with an oblique manner. Izzeth is elven in appearance, but not wholly. There is obvious human blood in his heritage, yet the dusky hue of his skin suggests the ancestry of dark elves. I confess I know little of the drow race save that they hail from the continent of Xen'drik and share a history with elves that traces somehow back through time to the eladrin (or high elves) that is Aleae's kind. The heritage and mingling of flesh and blood creatures will always remain something of a mystery to me.

While we took our repose, Arafin slept nearby for short periods at a time. Once she disappeared for a brief period, returning with the limp body of a kobold and proclaimed in dignified triumph that she had been able to impress the importance of not interfering with her to at least some of the innumerable kobold lurking within the warrens beyond our sight. At least, we expected to be untroubled by those kobolds who served the two spirit nagas we had slain. Arafin explained that to these deep-dwelling creatures, the nagas were revered like gods.

The light with which Talor has blessed our weapons seemed to sound strongly in my ears during these hours. But as much as I feel the slight oscillation within the dragonhawk banner, the words he spoke to me within his halls struck far more powerful chords. I pray they will guide me towards choices that honor the eternal grace and power of the Light. I sense a brightening of some of the most gruesome darknesses within my core. I wished I could say with certainty that I would be able to bear the burden of knowing what Talor keeps safe beneath his halls without his words. Never can I forget this sight, the darkness it drew, or the stories it tells.

Bad nagas are not nice.

While it may seem as if we have different reasons, gods, or methods guiding us on this journey, I have long held a strong belief that we are guided and our paths prepared to be walked together so that we can thwart the plans of the demon rajah Katashka and his numberless servants. Piece by piece, bit by bit we must prepare our final onslaught on Trazzen and the allies he has gathered within the keep. Among us, Aleae and I alone share the burden of knowing why we must drive those forces away from here, the immense potential that lies within what has fallen here and lies hidden, hopefully forever.

To our task at hand:

Our overall tactical position was clear and not encouraging. Our foes, the powerful water naga Hothyr and his monstrous servants had plenty of time to prepare for our attack, certainly fortifying their defenses and replenishing their resources, just as much as we had gathered our strength and replenished our powers to prevail in this upcoming battle. From the descriptions of Izzeth and Arafin, we knew that we could certainly expect many kobolds and their traps and deceptions before us. Some kobolds live in the cities of the Five Nations, often underfoot, overlooked, and disdained, but in their natural subterranean environs they are cunning, if cowardly creatures. In addition, Izzeth spoke of tunnel-dwelling worms called gricks—known for their ability to blend unnoticeably against stone. And there may be a host of unknown and even unknowable creatures lying ready and waiting for our assault.

Of one curious fact imparted by Arafin  I drew some comfort: The nagas were not cohorts of Trazzen, merely tenuous allies within Glyphstone's dungeon with some kind of truce. Even Talor had advised us to challenge the spirit nagas and free Arafin, but we could also have bypassed their lair and gone straight to find to Trazzen without involving them at all. In the end, I know it was right to engage these perils, release this noble creature, and recover the Scepter of Glyphstone that we now knew Hothyr guarded. We expected fierce resistance, yet our path was righteous and therefore I did not doubt that we would prevail, following the powerful strings with which the Sovereign Host and Dol Arrah would guide us and with which we were bound together as a group.

Before we ventured up the stairs toward Hothyr's lair, Izzeth enacted spells that would allow us to breath under water (for those among us who breathed at all) as well as walk upon the surface of any water—two boons that could prove especially useful given the nature of our foe. I summoned my unseen servant to accompany me on this path and after I spoke a few prayers to Dol Arrah, bolstering myself and some of my allies, we ventured up the stairs, onward to slay this monster.

Our movement through the first few turns of passage was undisturbed. We were on high alert, very much expecting an ambush from one of the kobold-sized tunnels ending along the sides at any moment.

I was leading the guard, with Arafin towering behind me, as we approached the position at which the druid Izzeth had previously encountered the gricks. For a moment as I was studying the walls. I sent a light ahead of us, taking the shape of my lost comrade Athalea as it moved, driven by the slight taps I produced on his drum. Suddenly I could distinctly make out the outlines of four gricks attached at various locations along the walls ahead, clearly waiting for us, meaning to surprise.

“Halt, we have company,” I spoke softly while I unleashed arrows into the backs of the closest two gricks. Simel loosed arrows of his own, and Aleae conjured her signature ice rays. The four shapes I had discerned all sprung into action. Suction-covered tentacles peeled back as the gricks became aggressive, revealing a beak-like mouth as they slithered down the wall.

This may have been an effect of the long days without true daylight and battling through the halls of Glyphstone Keep, and is unlikely to be of any significance, but some of the gricks appeared to have an unusual blue sheen to them which I certainly understood to be uncharacteristic for their kind. [DM interjection: Hah hah. Laugh it up, tin man.]

Aleae promptly responded by setting the path ahead of us ablaze with a well-placed fireball, which immediately expired three of the gricks, leaving the fourth badly wounded. Shrieks from around the corners told of more targets than could be seen having being hit. “Well done,” commented Arafin graciously, flashing an approving, toothy smile at Aleae.

During the Last War, one of my commanders was fond of the expression "sisters in spells" to describe female and magic-using soldiers in our ranks. Arafin was a large serpentine creature and obviously quite strong, but she favored the use of magic over brute force. From that point on, Aleae seemed to be in her favor.

If you see a Fireball at this angle,
Aleae is trying to kill someone, or
something, to your immediate left.
If she's mad at you, you might be
within its radius, though (so be careful).

A few kobolds emerged from a small tunnels ahead and gricks, some badly burnt, came rushing around both nearby corners. Weapons were swung and arrows pierced the air in all directions but the remainder of our foes were no match and indeed only one of the gricks managed to land a hit, striking me as I lifted my shield to catch an arrow.

Before I had truly noticed movements from where we had come, another fireball by Aleae now turned the path behind us into a small inferno, which had a similar effect than the first; countless shrieks and thumps accompanied many of our foe’s demise. A surviving kobold we had in sight ahead rushed as quickly as it could into a small passage and the silence that followed some quickly fading clattering from all directions made it clear that we had made quite the impression, at least on these kobolds, leaving behind a large series of grick carcasses, most of which were still smoking. The passage reeked of burnt flesh.

Still cautious, we proceeded further towards more worthy foes. As we approached what we knew was the main chamber of Hothir’s lair we found a layer of kelplike sludge clinging to the edges of a great pool of dark water, which stretched far out of sight across the long chamber. The pool blended almost seamlessly with the hard and narrow marble walkway that surrounded it. Water and scum made even this solid surface treacherous to move upon.

Once we had all gathered by the entrance of the room and taken our first steps into the dark, we heard familiar draconic mutterings and distant barks followed by a kobold rushing out of the tunnels to our left. One of the kobolds sent a small clay pot flying our way, but except for a few vapors rising as it shattered it had no effect. Once Magnus had smashed it into the pool, more sprang from the tunnels. When Magnus blasted the next one with his mace, one of the clay devices it was carrying erupted in a cloud of yellow vapors. Under its effect, magical sluggishness took hold of the human. It slowed his body, but clearly not his determination or his anger.

Izzeth, our new companion, had prepared well for this fight and was able to command large amounts of the water from the pool to fill the room up to the ceiling—though this use of druidic magic was not immediately apparent, and many of us were engulfed without warning in the brackish soup. The wall of water rose from the pool, blocking some views and possibly flooding the nearest kobold tunnels. We were still to discover whether this would keep their attacks at bay.

Able to traverse the surface of water as easily as solid ground, Magnus stepped out to engage an enemy I could not see. I heard the splashing of water and a deep-throated roar of a monster surging up from the pool. Hothyr himself? I didn't think so, as nagas were not so noisy.

Once emerged from the water I found an ogre-sized aberration of horrendous appearance towering high near the water’s edge, drawn up from depths of Khyber unfathomable. It had the massive pincers and armor like some monstrous crustacean but the ferocity and color of a troll, innumerable flailing tentacles that almost seemed to burst from its head, all mixed with something unspeakably twisted and dark.

I positioned myself in front of the creature hoping to draw most of its attention with a series of blows as most of my companions as well as Arafin were striking the creature from all angles. Simel unleashed barrages of arrows from afar and taunted the creature masterfully, while Wynn engaged it with her polearm and drew most of its attentions. She even managed to force the beast down into an awkward angle. To my right, Izzeth began to move and in the blink of an eye he transformed from his elflike body into that of a great constrictor snake! It will take some getting used to, having a companion who can become an animal on a whim.

From the corner of my view I noticed something else large slithering along the water surface. Hothyr had emerged—even larger and fiercer than I had expected, making even Arafin appear somewhat slight. A shimmer familiar from the battlefields of Karrnath surrounded him; he must have been protected by a spell-shield. If we wanted to stand a chance against this villainous beast we would have to first dispel this barrier or we were at a tremendous disadvantage.

My weapon beckons, the powers that Talor has bestowed upon it must sense that a great evil is present and seek to unleash their full wrath upon it.

We must cleanse this place!