Why'd it have to be a snake pit gas chamber?

Unbeknownst to us, we teleported into what seemed to be a snake den. I had just enough time to create an aberration's roar to distract the guards, giving us enough time to find cover, though all the good it did me with my clunky clumsy footfalls. The battle commences with Darren summoning his own aberration servant to perpetuate the ruse but soon the horde of snakes of varying sizes set upon us while the stealthier members proceeded to rescue the feline shifter hostage and sabotage the altar at which the serpents were preparing a ritual, which Darren successfully disrupted by altering their altar. Eventually we subdued the snakes and our rescued hostage directed us down a side entrance into the temple. My knowledge of the ancient celestial language translated an ominous warning to those seeking to disturb the temple. Nevertheless we had to proceed, and indeed the promised peril we found in the form of mysterious vapors in the following chambers. Darren, Jeeng and myself were among the first to test the different colored gases. The red mist seemed to induce a confusion in Jeeng and anyone who might inhale it. The first shifter we rescued told us the blue vapor affected the skin upon contact but neither seemed to effect me so I ventured further ahead to where Darren spotted a green gas near another demonic statue. Behind this I read more celestial carvings describing the demon represented in stone as a shape shifting one indicated by the corresponding statues we saw at the entrance which resembled one another yet with slightly different features. This was confirmed by the next shifter we encountered near one of the green clouds which reacted to any disturbance and movement. While the rest of the party focused down the first of these gas clouds now given form, Justine and I went to aid some more shifters in the middle of the chamber. With 3 more shifters safely guided to the entrance, we proceeded to engage the other green gas demons and as we advanced the remaining red and blue gas converged behind us. After Justine and Darren tried clearing a path with their usual magical devices that up til now had worked on the separate red and blue gases, I also tried casting Identify to figure out this new purple cloud but Fran-kee immediately noticed that all magical properties dissipated upon contact. Thus Jeeng had to blow away a path with the giant fan Penelope conjure, but because the wind he was generating was not itself magical, we were able to clear it and move forward to find a thick mud and stone wall sealing off a chamber of shifters from the purple cloud which seemed to magnetize itself to this wall. Penelope eventually thought of teleporting into the chamber and evacuating everyone through the portable hole so we followed, everyone except Darren who ushered the shifters we'd already rescued topside. In the chamber, I met Elise for the first time who enlightened me to the the main statue of Ronka and the altars of mass sacrifice used to seal even just one of Mazerik's generals which no doubt was the target of the purple cloud. I also caught Justine trying to disturb one of these altars, risking the general's release and gave her a stern gaze while holding her hand to make an arcana check (which still failed to tell more than Elise already knew and elucidated). Thus with nothing further to do, we used both portable holes to evacuate everyone and regrouped with Darren. On the surface Jeeng conversed with Moonlight further upon the strange behaviors of the Lizardfolk who might only be at the end of a string of mechanisms pulled by anyone's guess at this point (Jeeng's money still on the Red Tide) We also had to decide who we would contact to help handle the purple cloud while we ventured to pay a visit to the Bestest Justice Friends