Nomen Infernale XLV: Its Tail Sways Like a Cedar
General Summary
As Kegho crept forward to see the source of the sound which had caught his attention, while Theo tapped into the eyes of the divine to see if the woman leading the party deeper into the ruins of Onurous was under the influence of evil powers. He saw no faint glow of miasmatic energy about her and glanced at the purse where Alex had tucked away the brooch made of bone deemed it clean as well. He allowed his vision to settle into the mundane spectrum as Kegho rushed toward a large alligator-like reptile sleeping in the distance. Keg's savage initial blow was met with the creature snapping, whip-like at the Steppelander. Kegho felt disease creep into his system from the reptile's bite.
Teleptyon reached over to Riven's quiver and muttered words of enchantment until the arrows took on the pale blue fire of the Ar.
Alex and Asbjørn approached from different angles. Alex attempts to climb onto the stereobate of what seems to be the entry platform for an abandoned temple but he slips in the swirling dust. Above his head, two arrows loosed by the ranger whistle through the air sinking deep into the flesh of the lizard and ending it.
Kegho felt his wounds throb with infection briefly before subsiding. Theo prayed for the blessings of Lamos and Maya upon him. Kegho shudders at the touch of the divine but was pleased to watch wounds close to two points of pink new flesh.
La Compagnia found the broad cyclopean boulevard once more and sees the entry to a temple to their right, with statues staring down on it from across the way. The hawk-heads of the long-forgotten Khemian gods stare down from the swirling sands above them. Satre urged the party onward toward the city. Theo moved ahead of the party and heard above the howling of the storm another lizard ahead. The party rushed in and Riven and Alex both attack and her arrow and his bullet make contact with the beast but do little more than anger it. Elissa saw the creature lock eyes on Theo and moves to defend him, bracing herself for its charge. As the terrible lizard rears up to attack, she maneuvered her spear under its belly as it falls on her. The creature swipes at Theo with claws and the doughty cleric retailed with his mace ending it as quickly as he can, saying a prayer to Bira as he does so.
The adventurers advanced to the palace and encountered another lizard sleeping comfortably between two rows of pillars, splayed across the road. It was larger than the others and Riven and Alex snuck to the far side to see if they coud find an entrance to the palace. When they realized the party can escape into the palace and not face this dread reptile, they called quietly for the others to join them, but a noise in their movement wokened the beast up. Asbjørn threw his net at the lizard as it gnashed its teeth, entangling it's toothy head. Alex tried to stab it from behind while it was distracted, but it thrashed its tree-like tail as it tried to shake off the net and he was unable to find a clear point of attack. Riven shoots, but missed. Theo sank his mace into the beasts flank. Teleptyon loosed a bolt of Ar at it. Alex again failed to sink a blow. Riven fired two arrows at the thing and both land true. The beast raged, snapping the lines of the net with its powerful jaw and spun to attack the shooter, but Alex was a more convenient target. It trampled and bites Alex, but Alex fought off the venom. Theo again smashed at it with his mace. Teleptyon loosed another bolt of Ar at the same time that Elissa charged at it with her spear. The great lizard collapses into the dust, lifeless.
