The Forgotten City XXXXI
General Summary
Though briefly slowed as The Jiam reached out and touched the threads of energy that run through and interconnect the natural world, that bound The Jiam and the giant snake currently approaching the young Neshite man bound to a stake, but the did not stop. It wound its way around the man, muscled and writing against taut ropes as loops of the snake's body coiled and tightened. Kegho and Riven entered the room just behind The Jiam and Riven took the subtle nod from the Alvi druid to mean that the snake could not be reasoned with. She loosed and arrow and hit. Kegho's eyes rolled back in his head as he howled in joy at battle joined and then fired an arrow enchanted by Teleptyon's magic at the snake. A gout of flame spurting from the fresh wound. The snake continued to tighten around the young man as sweat rolled down his brow. Antonious fired the longbow he had received in the caverns and was delighted that it hit. The ran to the snake and the man and batted with his mace, but held back for fear of hitting the entangled man. Teleptyon loosed bolts of magic at the serpent, but still it did not relent. Elissa made her way into the room near Kegho and prepared to charge at the rear of the giant serpent when two new great serpents wound their way down from rafters in the ceiling. coiling almost on top of her and Kegho, and one came down near Herk, Alex, and The Jiam.
The Jiam hit the snake which had just landed near him with a bullet from his sling staff while Riven sank another arrow into the far snake wrapped around the stranger. Herk hacked at the snake closest to him landing a mighty blow. Alex attempted to vault himself onto the snake's neck where he might have an advantageous place to strike, but badly fumbled and ended up lying on his back on the chamber floor. Kegho struck at the snake nearest him doing great damage.
The snake holding the young stranger uncoiled from him and bit down on Theo's shoulder bruising him badly, but he was filled with relief that he had distracted the snake from its sacrificial target. Khufu missed the snake to the left. Teletpyon loosed another bolt of magic missile doing considerable damage to the serpent now fighting Theo. Antonious missed with his longbow and decided to enter the fray hand-to-hand where he was more comfortable. The snake near Kegho bit at his torso jostling his broken ribs, but failing to coil around the Ashkhuz barbarian. While it was distracted, Elissa stuck it with her spear. Theo and Riven missed the snake on the far end of the room, Riven snapping her last bowstring in the process. Theo returned with a mighty strike, crushing its skull.
From his post he looked down and thanked the priest for his rescue in accented Eknoi, using the term "Father" in the liturgical style. Theo reached up and touched the man's torso channeling the energies of Lamos through his touch, noting the slickness of his skin with sweat and dirt from his ordeal and impressed by the fine chisling of his serratus muscles. The man seemed preocupied with his easier breathing and the fading of his bruises from fresh to a faded purple on his dark skin as all of his injuries were fully healed.
Herk broke his axe while striking at the snake. Kegho, Antonious and Khufu each missed; the head of Khufu's hammer slipped off the haft and landed with a thud on the floor. He pulled out a quarterstaff. The snake bit Alex but failed to wrap itself around him. The Jiam moved down to help Theo but snapped his sling. Riven missed with her sword. Alex lands a successful blow with his new dagger and feels a thrill of energy as he sliced at the flesh of the beast. As he regained his footing he noticed beastmen guards and the snake sorceress coming through the door and muttered some of his foulest Oameni oaths.
The male Djeti-hybrid slid into the room and attempted to catch the gaze of Riven and fill her with fear, but she was not in the mood for eye contact and his enchantment fizzled. A beastman guard moved in and struck her with his hand axe. Elissa continued to stab at the snake near her. Teleptyon loosed a blast of energy from the plane of fire at the sorceress. She wailed in anger and muttered something in a sibilant language with her forked tongue; the quarterstaff Khufu held writhed in his hands before splitting into four snakes. The Jiam felt the presence of new life from across the room and shouted "asps, they're like poisonous, man" as Khufu tried to toss them away. Herk continued hacking at the snake with his now chipped axe head. The snake bit at Riven and wrapped itself around her squeezing her in a way that was painful but not totally unpleasant. Khufu took the haft of his hammer and began batting at the four venomous snakes now on the ground near him but missed. Herk missed the snake that was holding Riven, but Alex struck a mighty blow. The beastman guard continued trying to hit Riven while she struggled against the snake constricting her but there was too much snake muscle in the way. The beastmen began to encircle Theo while The Jiam cut down the prisoner and coquettishly handed him the bone scimitar. Four of the beastmen attacked Theo at once, all missing, but one so badly he chipped his axe on the wall. Antonious laid another blow on the snake by him. Kegho also hit it.
After handing the stranger a sword he slipped out of sight and melted into the chaotic shadows of the battle-filled room and came up behind the beastman attacking Theo from behind and stabbed at him hoping to end him immediately, but only wounding him. The chief's son ran forward to help the priest who had rescued him and slashed a mighty blow on the beastman The Jiam had just attacked. Herk hoped to back away from the battle but the asps were behind him and the snake was before him, he reluctantly swung at the large snake but missed.
The ophidian warrior and sorceress saw that the party's weapons are broken and that they are overwhelmed and leave the clean up to their underlings setting a beastman captain on the door and heading out of the room.
One of the beastmen landed his strike against Theo. Riven slipped free of the serpent's clutches dislocating and relocating her shoulders uncannily. The snake missed Kegho. A beastman missed Riven, but drove her back toward the snake which bit her again giving her a scar across her clavicle and causing her to bleed. Another beastman hit Theo and h e struck him back. Antonious and Elissa each miss the snake. The Jiam flees the beastman who he had failed to assassinate and it gave chase. As it ran the Chief's son slashed at it. He lunged at the Jiam injuring him, and The Jiam sliced back with the sickle Alex had given him from the catacombs of Anekhsemeru, the beastman's innards began to spill forth but he retained his footing. Another beastman missed Theo. Kegho struck the giant serpent again. Teleptyon blasted a beastman from across the cistern. The hooked the sickle into the beastman before him and pulled, unspooling his entrails on the floor and ending him. Again the giant snake bit at Kegho wounding him. Herk and the Chief's Son missed. Teleptyon brought down the staff of power on the snake and and screamed "In the name of the Ar itself!" which to his surprise cause ruins on the staff to glow the deep purple of magic and the black gem that sat at its head to glow a bright flame red. He had no time to even proclaim "aww shucks" before a fireball swept through the room engulfing Antonious, Kegho and Elissa. Elissa was somewhat protected by the bulk of the serpent. The serpent wailed as flames killed it.
Theo slayed another beastman though it nearly killed him with its dying breath. Alex continued to stab at the snake and drew its attention away from Riven. Antonious sliced the heads off two of the asps with ease. Riven hit the beastman who had harried her. Khufu killed the last asp. A beastman missed riven, but hit Theo giving him an impressive scar across his cheek. With the snake dead, Elissa rushed to join Theo fighting the beastment, cursing the cistern for making it not a direct shot.
