"The King of Feathers" - Tomb of Annihilation, Chapter 28

After defeating the crimson necromancers of the lich queen and interrogating their new prisoner, Thazma, the party continued to the compound of the grung. They trudged through the waist-deep, sometimes shoulder-deep water past the ruins of the royal palace to the right. The tower of the palace was slowly orbited by hundreds of dark flying leathern-winged reptiles.

They arrived at the grung compound and were met by nearly a dozen archers and warriors, some with red skin some with orange. The gold-skinned chieftain emerged from the flooded compound flanked by two orange-skinned guard to greet the party and their newly acquired mercenaries. He inflated his throat sac in a display of intimidation and spoke in his native language.

"Orvex, get up here and translate!" called Xoc-Wik.

Orvex Orcammas translated the words of the chieftain.

"I am Chief Yorb. Why have you returned to this holy sanctuary? Although we thank you for saving our precious offspring-" the chief paused to consult a guard on the name of his offspring before continuing, "-our precious one hundred eightieth offspring Imbok, you were politely informed that as an outsider you were not welcome here and would be sacrificed to Nangnang should you retrun."

Imbok waved excitedly from the wall. Zeynap waved back.

Zeynap said, "We apologize for our unanticipated return. We were unable to understand your words the last time we were here. We have returned with an interpreter to translate so that we may ask you a great favor."

Chief Yorb's bulbous eyes narrowed, "What is this favor?"

Apparently Jones blurted out, "We need to go inside that shrine!"

Zeynap winced and inhaled through his teeth.

Chief Yorb replied, "Absolutely not! This is a sacred place! You may not enter without first offering a suitable gift to great Nangnang!"

Zeynap diplomatically inquired, "What kind of gift may we provide?"

Chief Yorb once more consulted with his guard. He turned back to make his proclamation, "Go to the something-something and slay the great beast known as the King of Feathers!"

CHAPTER 28, "THE KING OF FEATHERS"

THE EXPEDITION

• Bramble Wolf - a theran barbarian wise-man (Wildhunt Shifter Druid) searching for the legendary origin of his tribe.
• Apparently Jones - a blue-skinned demijin caravan guide and animal trainer (Air Genasi Ranger) from Akasa, the land of sky mountains. Having failed to find work in Port Nyanzaru as an animal handler, she has joined the expedition to the interior as a scout.
• Chak'sa - Apparently's honker (parasaurolophus) companion.
• Xoc-Wik - a b'alam warrior (Tabaxi Fighter) from the jungles of Bres, searching for those responsible for the destruction of his tribe.
• Zeynap Shiravadakar - a Eusebean smuggler (Human Warlock) bearing the spirit of a celestial unicorn.
• Argent Truth-Sayer - a golden azi knight errant of Bahamut (Dragonborn Paladin) in the service of Bahamut, sent on a holy mission to join the expedition to destroy the Soul Monger. 

NPCs

• Eku - a mysterious shape-changing wise-woman from Chult, hired as a guide.
• Tony - rough and tumble dinosaur wrangler who wished to learn from Apparently, possibly from 19th century Boston on Earth. 
• Orvex Ocrammas - translator and guide for hire; rescued from the Fane of the Night Serpent.
• Thazma - a Crimson Necromancer in the service of Unglaub the Lich Queen, reportedly knows the location of the entrance to the Tomb of the Nine Gods. 

The Something-Something

"The 'something-something'?" inquired Zeynap dubiously.

Orvex replied, "I didn't know that word. What's a 'gombuke'?"

"Whatever, what's a 'King of Feathers'?" asked Xoc-Wik.

"It is a great beast that walks on two feet with a large horn growing from its nose. It is covered in the most radiant plumage. For too long the King of Feathers has preyed upon our kind and we have been helpless to stop him! Do this and I will consider your favor."

"Where is this.. 'gombuke'?" inquired Zeynap.

"It is one hundred great leaps towards the rising sun," was Chief Yorb's answer.

Zeynap blinked in confusion, "How big is a 'great leap'?"

Chief Yorb explained, "Ten hops," he stretched his arms wide to indicate distance, "a hop!"

Argent did some math, "So, twenty-five hundred feet that way."

"That corresponds with the amphitheater," suggested Xoc-Wik.

"Got it," said Zeynap, "Chief Yorb, you've got a deal!"

DM Note- I couldn't say "Go to the Amphitheater". A grung has no idea what an "amphitheater" is. I even told the players I was stuck in how to describe where they had to go. So I came up with "gombuke". Then I realized that a grung wouldn't know what a "foot" or "meter" was. I thought, "what unit of distance would a grung use?" so I came up with the "great leap" of 25 feet and a hop of "about 3 feet.

The Shambling Mound
 After once more crossing the flooded swamp in the center of the city, the party decided to take a short rest outside some ruined buildings on the northern edge of town.

While they rested, a massive tendril of vines and roots reached out from a nearby ruin and grabbed one of the mercenaries revealing an ambulatory vegetative mass. Apparently and Argent rushed to his aid, cutting him free, while Xoc-Wik loosed arrows from across the street. Zeynap unleashed a barrage of eldritch blasts. The mercenary archers formed a line and loosed volleys into the shambling mound. The now freed mercenary joined the other spearmen and formed a line to protect Chak'sa.

The mound turned its attention to Argent and the spearmen rushed in to attack and the shambling plant-thing was soon destroyed.

DM Note- Random encounter to add some spice. I thought about throwing a second shambling mound but I didn't want to go overboard on a random encounter.

The Amphitheater
The party traveled around the northern edge of the great elevated boulevard and arrived at an open area covered in shoulder-high grass. Two-hundred yard away a stone amphitheater rose above the grass and small trees. The amphitheater was a semi-circular structure of step-like seats. Three large stone pylons faced the seats of the amphitheater. They lacked entrances or windows. Shards of what appeared to have once been massive statues lay broken in the grass.

DM Note- The players asked me "What are those buildings?" 

Because I couldn't tell from the map and I didn't have a ready answer, I turned it to them, "What do you think they are?"

They started throwing out ideas. Somebody asked, "Is there a door? How about windows?" 

My answer was, "You tell me. Does it have doors? Are there windows?"

Using this method, the players described them as giant pedestals for statues that have toppled over and lay in heaps of rubble in the muddy grass. 

It's always good to let players come up with uneccesary details. Plus it clues them in that those structures aren't important and gives them the ability to be creative or come up with something useful for them.

They advanced slowly through the tall grass towards the amphitheater. Apparently spotted large five-foot wide tracks made by a three-toed creature sunken into the muddy ground. Their gait indicated a creature of immense size, at least thirty-feet tall. The tracks occasionally disappeared mysteriously. Perhaps the King of Feathers flew?

The area within the semi-circle formed by the amphitheater was devoid of grass and muddy. There was no sign of the King of Feathers.

The muddy area was strewn with the bones of hundreds of dead animals and humanoids. There was no sound, no insects, no birds, no wind. The silence was eerie.

From here they could see nine tunnels leading underneath the seats of the amphitheater. No doubt mighty gladiators once emerged from those tunnels to do battle. Each tunnel was topped by the statue of a different trickster god of Omu.

Argent pointed at the stands, "The archers will be positioned there and there. Chak'sa and the mercenaries will watch Thazma way over there. Chak'sa will honk his horn if he sees the King of Feathers." He pointed towards the fourth tunnel in the center of the semi-circle, "We'll wait in there for the King of Feathers to return."

The Terror in the Dark
They cautiously entered the tunnel beneath the stands of the amphitheater. A stone ramp led down to a room containing stone benches and an ancient dry fountain. Shards of glass from hundreds of broken bottles littered the floor. Mud tracks from a clawed foot the size of a man's hand led into and out of the tunnels.

"Do you think its young live down here?" inquired Zeynap.

"Maybe," replied Apparently.

"Good," said Argent grimly.

They advanced cautiously. Zeynap created a magical light to illuminate the stone corridors in scintillating rainbow hues.

There was the sound of claws running on the stone floor. The sound echoed down a series of corridors that disappeared into the darkness. There was a flash of movement. The tip of a tail disappeared around the corner. Suddenly a feathered face of a reptile with a head the general size and shape of a  medium sized dog appeared around the corner.

Zeynap launched an eldritch blast into the darkness after a partially obscured creature.

One of the creatures burst out of the darkness. It was bipedal with legs like an large bird, a long whip-like tail, and a dog-like head filled with tiny teeth. Each clawed foot ended with a long curved scythe-like talon. The creature bolted forward, leaped, and pounced on Zeynap, its teeth snapping inches away from Zeynap's face. Zeynap repelled the beast with his eldritch blast.

Everyone attacked the creature and it was soon destroyed. Another creature appeared and pounced upon Argent. After killing the second beast, the sound of more could be heard in the darkness.

Argent called out, "Retreat! We didn't come here to fight these! We'll figure something else out."

The party turned to exit the tunnel. They heard the sound of Chak'sa's honking warning them of danger.

They emerged from the tunnel and saw a massive bipedal creature with a long tail,  two muscular legs, tiny arms, and a head the size of a boulder. It was covered in brilliant plumage. A single large horn grew from its nose. Its mouth, large enough to swallow a man whole, was filled with dagger-like teeth.

The King of Feathers had returned!

All Hail the King

The King of Feathers saw intruders within his home territory. He lifted his head and roared.

The King was still in the area of tall grass almost two hundred feet away. It started charging towards the intruders.

The team moved into position. Argent moved out of the tunnel. Apparently summoned two spirit bears to intercept the King of Feathers about sixty feet away.

DM Note- According to Apparently's player, the bears are now named "Hydra Bait" and "Snake Bite".

Zeynap moved out of the tunnel and towards the right. Apparently, Xoc-Wik, and Orvex stayed in the entrance to the tunnel.

From his safe vantage point, Xoc-Wik was able to launch an arrow into the King of Feathers that burst into magical energy. Vines and thorns and roots burst from the ground to wrap around the King's three-toed feet. The King lifted its feet from the entangling mass in annoyance, roared, and disappeared in a poof of silvery mist!

Xoc-Wik's player- "Are you shitting me?"

Argent's player- "It's a BLINK DINOSAUR!! That's awesome!!" 

The King of Feathers continued its charge but everywhere it moved its feet became once more entangled in vines and thorns. The mercenary archers in the stands sent arrows towards the monster but all missed or bounced off its feathered plumage. Zeynap sent his most powerful witch bolt into the feathered monster. Electric energy arced through the air in a continuous stream, causing the King of Feathers great agony.

The King angled around the bears but the bears moved to intercept. Argent rushed out to meet it. To Argent's surprise, the King simply blinked past him, appearing near Zeynap.

The feathered beast opened its great maw and bit down onto Zeynap. He lifted Zeynap off the ground and and exhaled a swarm of angry wasps from deep within its lungs!

Everyone- Because of COURSE it does!

The King then blinked away with the warlock in his mouth, leaving behind a cloud of angry wasps to harass Argent!

Meanwhile, three of the smaller creatures appeared from within the tunnel to harrass Xoc-Wik, Apparently, and Orvex. They were forced to deal with the distraction from behind while Zeynap and Argent battled the King of Feathers.

Argent attacked the King of Feathers with his axe. Zeynap gritted his teeth as the dagger-like teeth ripped into his flesh. Through a herculean effort the warlock was able to maintain his focus and continue sending electric energy into the King of Feathers!

The King of Feathers shuddered and fell, its plumage singed and smoking!

DM Note- I did like 40+ points of damage to Zeynap! The DC for his Constitution Save was over 20! He rolled a 20! Thanks to Argent's bless spell giving him a +1d4, that asshole rolled a 26! It was a pretty epic save!  Zeynap's player described Zeynap, in the mouth of a T-Rex, sending electrical energy all over his enemy like Emperor Palpatine vs. Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. 

They had defeated the King of Feathers!

Aftermath
Argent dismembered the King of Feather's remains both to make easier transport of the head and to prevent it reanimating as a walking corpse. Apparently and the mercenaries set to work building a travois to transport the King of Feather's boulder-sized head.

Xoc-Wik and Zeynap explored the now empty tunnels beneath the amphitheater, finding a golden death mask, a fancy helmet, and a serving platter engraved with images of Omuan feasts.

The Shrine of Nangnang
The party transported the head of the King of Feathers back across the swamp to the shrine of Nangnang. This time they were met with croaks of celebration and the adulation of Chief Yorb and his grung attendants. Chief Yorb allowed them entrance into the holy shrine.

They entered the squat truncated pyramid and found another heavier door overlooking a tile mosaic in the floor. Magical torches illuminated several irregular side chambers, revealing piles of gold coins and bars, goblets, statuettes, and other treasures.

Zeynap began to salivate but the glowing bump on his forehead reminded him of his obligation to Bright Mane, his celestial patron. "I'm not going to touch it!"

"Me neither," agreed Xoc-Wik, "Nobody touch nothing!"

The others nodded in agreement.

They examined the tile mosaic. It depicted a grung  beating a kamadan. Cuneiform inscriptions were woven above and below the combatants. Orvex said the images showed Nangnang the grung fighting against Shagambi the kamadan. He translated the cunieform as "Nangnang teaches us to serve only ourselves.”

"Okay," said Argent dubiously. The Azi dragon-man carefully stepped around the mosaic and tried to open the door. There were no handles, only an inscription that read, " Whoever among you is the richest, bring me your gifts."

He pushed. It would not budge. Others helped but it would not open.

Individuals tried presenting their belongings and valuables as gifts. Still the door did not open. They paused to consider their options.

Apparently had an idea. She scooped up a pile of gold coins off hte floor. The others shrugged and stepped back. She walked up and the door opened.

"Got it!" she said. 

Beyond the door was a small chamber containing the puzzle cube hovering gently in the air in a shaft of magical light. She took it and gave it to Zeynap to add to the collection. They now had eight of the nine puzzle cubes necessary to open- something. They knew not what.

They exited the shrine, the coins tuned to rusted tin in Apparently's hand, "Thought so." She tossed it back into the shrine.

A Rude Surprise
They team made their way back across Omu as the sun set in the west. They returned to their camp site in the gate house. Something was wrong.

They opened the gate and found carnage!

The mace-tail was dead and dismembered. Their equipment had been stolen.

Tony's body was  strung up on a wooden post like a scarecrow. He had been tortured and eventually killed with a dozen nagini arrows. His flayed skin was stretched flat and nailed to a nearby wall. On it was scrawled the message.

FACE ME COWARD!

Apparently covered her mouth in horror. Xoc-Wik's mouth hung open in shock.

Argent bared his draconic teeth, "I'll take care of this. Don't wait for me."

He left the camp and returned towards the city.

To Be Continued...

"Imbok and a Bag of Nails" - Tomb of Annihilation, Chapter 21

The Forbidden City
The party woke with the dawn. It was now the fiftieth day since they left Port Nyanzaru. They had spent the night in the walled compound of the gatehouse in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City of Omu. It was sunny, warm, and humid. Feathered reptile-birds darted overhead chasing large insects. Apparently and Xoc-Wik had both contracted Brain Fever during the night. Vinnie volunteered to stay with them as well as watch over the two saurian beasts of burden.

The rest of the party- Bramble, Zeynap, Argent, and Eku - gathered their equipment to begin their exploration of the city. From their vantage point on the raised ledge they could see the waterfall to the northern third of the east side of the city, the circular walls and towers along the middle-third, and the lake of lava on the southern third. They could also see the elevated boulevards that allowed easy but conspicuous travel through the ruins. What were once city streets were now choked with jungle trees and dense foliage. Only the tops of the crumbling buildings rose above the canopy of the trees. They decided to avoid the boulevards and stick to the streets which concealed their travel.

They climbed down the steep slope of the ledge overlooking the city and avoided the ruined buildings. They made their way to the land-bridge connecting the promontory overlooking the lake of lava to the rest of the city.

They parted the palm fronds as they neared the land bridge and saw a group of small humanoid beings. The creatures appeared to be human-shaped but made of blue-gray mold. Each creature was no taller than a man's waist. Two of the mold-men were carrying a green-skinned frog of equivalent size. The giant frog was tied up so that it couldn't move and was gagged. The mold-men were led by a larger leader. They seemed to be a procession taking the frog over the land-bridge to the promontory. This tableau presented only one possible scenario - they were planning on sacrificing the frog to the lava!

CHAPTER 21, "IMBOK AND A BAG OF NAILS"

THE EXPEDITION

• Bramble Wolf - a theran barbarian wise-man (Wildhunt Shifter Druid) searching for the legendary origin of his tribe.
• Apparently Jones - a blue-skinned demijin caravan guide and animal trainer (Air Genasi Ranger) from Akasa, the land of sky mountains. Having failed to find work in Port Nyanzaru as an animal handler, she has joined the expedition to the interior as a scout.
• Chak'sa - Apparently's honker (parasaurolophus) companion.
• Xoc-Wik - a b'alam warrior (Tabaxi Fighter) from the jungles of Bres, searching for those responsible for the destruction of his tribe.
• Zeynap Shiravadakar - a Eusebean smuggler (Human Warlock) bearing the spirit of a celestial unicorn.
• Argent Truth-Sayer - a golden azi knight errant of Bahamut (Dragonborn Paladin) in the service of Bahamut, sent on a holy mission to join the expedition to destroy the Soul Monger. 

NPCs

• Eku - a mysterious shape-changing wise-woman from Chult, hired as a guide.
• Vinnie - rough and tumble dinosaur wrangler who wished to learn from Apparently, possibly from 19th century Boston on Earth. 

The Rescue
Argent stepped forward and gave a peaceful greeting. He then requested that the pygmy mold-men release their prisoner, offering the blessings of Bahamut over any gift they believed they might receive from the lava.

The chief of the mold-men cocked his turnip-shaped head and spoke in an unintelligible series of hisses and rasps.

"Anybody speak their language? Eku, how about you?" asked Argent.

"I'm afraid I do not." replied Eku.

Argent repeated his offer to the mold-pygmies. The chieftain became visibly annoyed and hissed orders to his compatriots, pointing angrily at the interlopers.

The two mold-pygmies holding the bound amphibian prisoner resumed moving towards the edge of the cliff accompanied by two guards. The chieftain and four others spread out in a semi-circle. They formed slings out of vines growing on their bodies, loaded them with stones, and began spinning.

Argent stepped forward and the slingers let fly. A few ricocheted off Argent's armor with a loud "PANG!" but a few found their mark. Two of the mold-pygmies then formed wooden talons and closed with Argent.

Argent whispered a prayer of protection to provide sanctuary to the bound prisoner. The two mold-pygmiesholding the prisoner began to hesitate.

DM Note- Sanctuary requires anyone who might attack the protected target to need to succeed against a Saving Throw. I ruled that both carriers would need to lose their saving throws in order to throw the prisoner over the side. If one succeeded and the other failed, the prisoner was safe.

Argent had received a few blows and was looking injured. Bramble called out, "How are you doing, Argent?"

"I've felt better!" was his labored reply.

"I'm not a great healer but I can see what I can do!" replied Bramble.

"Don't worry about it," shouted Zeynap, "I'm a great healer! I got this!"

Argent hewed through his foes with his axe. To his surprise, the injuries began to heal!

"Eku! What are these things? How do we kill them?" asked Argent.

"If I recall correctly, I believe their healing ability is curtailed by fire, poison, or necromancy!"

Bramble summoned forth a spirit of flame which harried the mold-pygmies holding the prisoner, forcing them to drop their prisoner and run away from the rolling ball of flame. Bramble then ran up and attacked one of the mold-pygmieswith his staff.

Zeynap created a magical hand of icy necromancy that floated around touching the mold-pygmies. Whatever the hand touched was shocked with powerful death magic.

The chieftain closed with Argent and Bramble. He planted his feet and clenched his fists as if in great physical effort. A bulbous shape worked its way up from the chieftain's core, through his chest and neck, swelling his head, and bursting out of the top of his head in a great explosion of pollen that engulfed both Bramble and Argent. The pair coughed and cleared the pollen out of their eyes but were otherwise unharmed.

The amphibian prisoner had been dropped as the ball of flame chased the mold-pygmies around the circular promontory. The prisoner was sliding towards the edge. Zeynap ran past Argent and Bramble and grabbed the prisoner before he fell over the side into the lava far below.

A mold-pygmy caught Argent off-guard with a sling stone to the head. Argent fell down.

Bramble stared at the fallen form of Argent in disbelief before turning his ire to Zeynap, "What happened? I thought you had this?"

"Uh, I was waiting for the sign." replied Zeynap sheepishly.

"What the hell was the sign?" demanded Bramble.

"Him falling over?" replied Zeynap as he carried the bound frog-man away from the edge of the promontory.

Bramble gritted his teeth and called upon the spirits of the forest to heal Argent. The dragon-man stood back up and continued fighting.

The chieftain was quickly dispatched and the rest of the mold-pygmies were soon defeated.

The amphibian's bindings were removed. He stood up to reveal a humanoid tree-frog with bright green skin. He thanked his rescuers with obsequious bowing and babbling in his native tongue which no one understood.

The little frog-man used a mixture of his own squeaking high-pitched language and pantomime to communicate that his name was "Imbok". After learning the names of everyone in the party, he implored them to follow him. The party agreed. They accompanied the little frog-man, whom Eku identified as a "grung", north along the west side of the lake of lava. The encountered a waterfall where the water that flooded the northeast portion of the city drained into the lava. Imbok took them to a large fallen tree that bridged the draining water about two hundred feet above the falls. He motioned for the party to follow him across.

The Ambush
The fallen tree was ten feet wide and crossing the flowing water proved easy. Something bothered Zeynap, however. He had a bad feeling.

Suddenly Zeynap was struck by a poisoned-tipped hunting arrow loosed from a hidden archer on a rooftop fifty yards away. Zeynap gurgled and staggered backwards clutching the arrow protruding from his shoulder. He looked at his companions who stared dumbfounded at the sight. Zeynap managed to take a deep breath and regain his composure. He was severely wounded but not fatally so. He saw his attacker leap from the roof of the building on the right to the roof of the building on the left. The archer was lithe with a long tail - a b'alam hunter from the continent of Bres!

Zeynap and the others quickly moved off the tree to the forested bank. They had no line of sight on the attacker. Eku transformed into flying reptile-bird and took flight. She circled over a rooftop to indicate the hidden position of the attacker. A few more arrows flew past as they made their way through the trees.

As they neared the base of the buildings, the party members became wary. They moved cautiously, scanning the rooftops. There was a blur as the b'alam darted from the building on the left to the building on the right across the vine-choked streets in front of them. The b'alam climbed the building on right in a flash. He leaned over the roof and took aim.

Bramble was ready for him. He called upon the spirits of nature and engulfed the b'alam in a glowing nimbus of magical energy. Zeynap cast a powerful attack spell and the b'alam hissed in pain and anger.

The b'alam threw up his hands and called out in Atlantean, "I surrender! I give up!"

Bag-of-Nails
The elderly b'alam hunter introduced himself as "Bag-of-Nails". It was clear to the party that Bag-of-Nails was a few candles short in his chandelier. Bag-of-Nails would speak a few sentences then forget where he was, then immediately begin speaking about an entirely different subject, then loop back again to the beginning. Sometimes Bag-of-Nails would seem to forget where he was entirely, believing he was back in his homeland of Bres in younger days. Other times he would react to the party as if he had just saw them all over again.

From Bag-of-Nails fragmented non-sequiters they gleaned that he had come here looking for the legendary artifact "the Navel of the Moon" which he planned to use to find his missing son. Bag-of-Nails had never heard of the Soulmonger and could provide no clues to its location. They also learned that he was accompanied by two other b'alam - Hooded-Lantern and Copper-Bell. All three were hunting a gargantuan beast known as the "King of Feathers" - a monstrous enemy that moved like a ghost and could walk through walls. He had attacked the party because he believed them to be rivals who had also come to kill the King of Feathers.

Bag-of-Nails insistently offered to cook the party some stew. They repeatedly declined. Eventually Argent agreed to have some stew so they entered the nearby structure in which Bag-of-Nails was camped.

The structure was formerly the home of a troupe of Omuan actors. Wooden and clay masks were mounted on the walls, many had fallen to the floor and were broken. Zeynap looked around while Bag-of-Nails prepared some stew for Argent. Zeynap found four gem-encrusted masks hidden away, each worth 25 gold coins. He stashed them in a sack to display later.

Zeynap rejoined the party as Argent finished his stew. They thanked the old b'alam for his hospitality and bade him farewell.

Chief Yorb
Imbok led the party onto a nearby elevated boulevard leading east. The party was wary of being so in the open but nothing bad happened. Imbok left the boulevard and turned north, towards the central tower surrounded by a great circular wall. Thousands of black leathery-winged reptiles slowly orbited the tower  giving the impression of swirling dark cloud. Imbok led them around the outside of round walls that surrounded the tower, warily looking in all directions as if he were afraid for his life.

The party circled around the back of the wall and arrived at Imbok's home, the flooded northeast third of the city. Imbok led them to a walled compound surrounded by knee-deep water. The walls were breached in several places, Two monoliths carved like frogs flanked the entrance. Within was a structure shaped like a trapezoid. Its ancient roof was covered in vines and trees. A hadrosaur fed on lake grass nearby.

Dozens of small frog-people crouched in the water, the tops of the heads and eyes peeking above the water. Fist-sized tad-poles swam around Argent's ankles.  Archers on the tree-covered roof appeared and drew their bows. Four orange-skinned warriors emerged from the lake. Imbok intervened and introduced his new friends. A large gold-skinned leader wearing a magnificent headdress emerged and greeted Imbok then addressed the party.

Though they could not understand his words, the party gathered that the chieftains name was Yorb and that he was grateful for the return of Imbok who was some kind of off-spring.

After the offering of thanks, it soon became clear that the two groups could not understand each other. So they stood there in awkward silence with nothing really to say. Argent smiled politely.

Zeynap finally got the hint, "I think we're done here and he's politely trying to ask us to leave."

Argent replied, "Yes, of course. We'll take our leave now."

In Search of the Soulmonger
Having delivered Imbok safely to his people, the party decided to resume their search for the Soulmonger. Their prime target was the tower within the circular inner walls orbited by the dark swarm of black leathery-winged reptiles. They retraced their steps along the outside of the wall until they found an entrance. They passed through the gate and carefully advanced.

The interior of the wall was composed of more jungle-clad ruins. Dozens, possibly hundreds of snakes of all types slithered on every tree branch and surface. Zeynap spun around as three humanoid figures with serpentine heads appeared seemingly from nowhere! The serpent-men were the twisted half-blooded warriors who served as the guards of the dreaded Nagina Samrajya! They had assumed the forms of snakes and were lying in wait with the other snakes in the area. The half-bloods abandoned their serpentine disguises, drew their bows, and loosed poisoned arrows at the party!

One nagina warrior approached from behind the party. Two others emerged in front of the party. Zeynap engaged the warrior to the rear with magical spells while Argent and Bramble advanced on the enemies in front.

The rear nagina drew an ancient khopesh and rushed Zeynap. Bramble transformed himself into a massive snake and coiled around the nagina to the right, crushing the serpent-man in his powerful coils. Argent challenged the serpent man to the left to a duel. The serpent man threw down his bow and charged Argent with his khopesh.

The nagina warrior struggled futilely against Bramble's constriction. Frustrated the warrior transformed himself into a snake and the two serpents coiled and twisted in mortal combat!

Zeynap was able to dispatch the first serpent man and moved to support Argent. Argent warned him to stay away lest he interrupt the duel. Meanwhile Bramble had squeezed all life out of his opponent.

Eventually Argent was able to defeat his foe and secure the area. They continued their search and discovered a tunnel leading underneath the tower. A foul stench emanated from the tunnel and many tracks showed recent movement into and out of the subterranean lair. The party, however, was exhausted from their exploration of the city and they many battles. They made a note of the location of the entrance and decided to retreat to a safe location to rest.

Exhaustion Sets In
The party returned to the grung compound hoping to rest within its walls. Orange-skinned guards intercepted them before they could enter. The party asked if they could rest within the compound. Chief Yorb, standing behind the guards, smiled blankly. He had no idea what they were saying.

When the party tried to advanced into the compound, the guards blocked their way. Chief Yorb stood resolute, still smiling. His meaning was clear. They were still friends but they were not welcome in the compound. Zeynap sighed and the party discussed their next plan.

The party decided to return to the basecamp from whence they began. It was mid-afternoon. They retraced their steps through the city, circling the outside of the inner wall, traveling down the elevated boulevard, crossing the fallen log, and climbing the embankment to the walled gate house. The route they traveled across the city took about fifteen minutes to traverse. There they decided to rest for the remainder of the day. They would return to the entrance to underground lair tomorrow.

To Be Continued...