Session 17 Hi Hoe Hi Hoe to the Dwarves we go! Report

General Summary

The party has headed into a small woods on the Eastern Plains in search of an abducted child, following a series of trails they make their way through the woods. Their first challenge is a massive ravine that seems impossible unless the party takes a long time to circumvent it. Instead, they climb up the trees and swing across them using the vines hanging from the branches. The final to cross, Azarath, finds his vine is not a vine but a snake!   Continuing on the party finds a massive Menhir in the road that seems to predict a strange religious ritual. Unfortunately, none of the party is equipped to deal with this. It seems to be from some obscure religion. While walking through the woods still the party is approached by a Mongoose who seems to be chittering excitedly. Once again, the party is lacking in its attempts to speak or understand the animal.   To a large clearing the party comes and they witness what appears to be the start of a ritual. 3 yuan-ti pitmasters begin to work a ritual by a large hole that lays beyond a dark altar. 5 individuals are chained to the altar; men, women, and the young boy that the party seeks. Azarath asks the party for the chance to sneak up on one of the Yua-ti in the hopes of killing the enemy quickly. While the others hang back he creeps forward but this gives one of the pitmasters the chance to throw a victim in the hole.   Azarath strikes but it is not true enough, the yuan-ti survives the first blow and then the monsters strike. One of them uses its natural spell-like abilities to cause Azarath to seize up, paralyzed. the yuan-ti in front of him does debilitating damage to the stilled rogue.   The others join combat and it rages on, two more hostages are thrown into the pit and one of the yuan-ti is killed while the others go invisible. Maz uses his repulsor shield to throw the yuan-ti leader into the pit, completing the sacrifice of 4 to their dark avatar. A giant Humanoid snake, wielding a massive scimitar, emerges from the hole and joins the battle.   Datheor moves to attack the abomination and uses his hammer to inflict maximum damage. Yet, he leaves himself open to be flanked by the abomination and the remaining yuan-ti. Incredibly hurt, Datheor stays standing and deals more damage to the abomination. Maz finishes it off with a firebolt, causing it to fall deep into the hole. Azarath jumps off the altar and front flips, landing behind the remaining yuan-ti and slashing it from throat to belly, spraying Maz with bodily fluids and organs.