======== Slave Grotto ========
Seraph responded "Enslaved children here" in response to the party's plea that she come join them in their tactical retreat and so Kylorin immediately started moving in response to children in need. Seeing the paladin lumbering towards her duty the others ran ahead to try and manipulate the situation to not be a total fiasco. Lindal gutted the fleeing guard in passing as the guard had been held up by the hissing spitting Seraph blocking his way. Celadon padded up stealthily but stopped where he could peer into the room from the hallways shadows to get a feel for what is happening within.
What he saw was a campfire casts warm light over this cavern. Heaps of dead grass and palm fronds are scattered about, and the muddy floor is pitted with footprints.
A gorgeous iridescent Yuan-ti Malison with bottom half of a serpent peers into a golden mirror with which they admire themself by the light of the fire. A silk clad slave-child meticulously oils the slavemaster's body as the master watchs the oils being applied in the mirror. Occasionally an angry twitch of the master's tail sends the slave scrambling to find a place she missed. Several brutish guards patrol the chamber where a half dozen dejected figures of all ages work to enlarge the room using long worn down tools insufficient to the job to which they are being applied. A chamber further across the way has several slaves lying on piles of straw and leafy fronds resting or sleeping despite the noise from the chamber nearby. Over a third of the slaves are children and all except the one applying oils appear badly malnourished.
Somehow against all hope everyone sneaks up quietly until Kylorin stomps her way over slowed by her clattering armor. Since the sound attracted the guard's and the slave's attention Eddie - always quick to run a scam - throws on an illusion of guard lindal just slayed and wanders into the room stating, "Need someone to collect Gift left at door"
The slavemaster turns their back continuing to admire their freshly oiled scales but the slavegirl steps forward blocking the way into the chamber imperiously stating, "Stop and abase yourselves before the Majesty that is Issar the Glorious - most wondrous of the Yuan ti. Burdensomely charged with the tiresome duty of supervising the bharakne as well as their brutish guards like you. State your business to me, their chamberlain, and I will translate their exquisite personal language of languorous dance for your debased ears to comprehend"
Eddie replies, "Uh the gift is out here in hall. You get."
The slave girl approaches Eddie carefully watching his every move as she edges around him and as such she completely misses Lindal pressed into a recess in the stone from which he stealthily knocks her out catching her body as she falls. Eddie tries to conceal the action with his Illusionary body but one of the guards sees the movement in the hall and shrieks "Intruders!" starting a chaotic fight.
The fight rages around the room. The slave master's cart of fancy scented oils gets overturned and several bottles get crushed as Freya barrels through doing her whirling dervish impression. Kylorin also crashes into the chamber defending Freya's back but taking care to daintily avoid stepping on the oils seeing how lustrous the slavemaster's scales shine. But soft supple scales provide little protection from swords and Kylorin proves this several times making the slave keeper drop his golden mirror. Eddie pretends to still be a surprised guard and makes his way to the other door pretending to struggle to open the door. (But also blocking it from being used for escape).
Celadon throws bolts of cursed energy to blast enemies while bestowing minor blessings as well as baleful curses making blades miss the party and and the party's blades dig deep. The fight is ferocious as the brood-guard go into frenzy and pile on damage when they do hit. Kylorin is hit a couple sound blows. Freya laughing madly is also hit but in her frenzied state the blows are mostly minor scrapes compared to the gashes she deals in return.
Eventually the slaves awaken to what is happening and look to join in but Celadon convinces them to stay back and not involve themselves in the grand melee. But one, a meddlesome bard (as all bards wont to be) tries to "help" by narrating the fracas in a grandiose theatrical style at exactly the same moment as someone behind Eddie jostles the door asking if everything is ok in there. Eddie raises his voice and yells, "some of the slaves needed to be punished but otherwise everything is fine, how are you?" But the voice on the other side gets called away by the frantic ringing of a gong elsewhere in the complex.
======== Alarm is raised ========
Soon the room falls still though the ringing of a gong elsewhere in the complex let the party know their presence has been noted. The slaves are informed they should escape now before more guards come via the back stairs. But they seem to want to vent their fury on the unconscious slave-girl whom served as voice to their cruel master. Kylorin put an immediate stop to that line of thought and restates that "EVERYONE needs to get out. Issar's spokesman included." A couple slaves appear somewhat competent and between them they soon have the group moving. One even carrying the unconscious slave-girl/spokeswoman.
The Taxabi bard, Pottery-Shard, wishes to accompany the group but the group quickly rebuff his attempts to join them.
========= Looking for a place to catch breath =========
Having finally recovered the Immovable Rod and having shown the slaves the route aboveground the party wade into the water and use the depths to hide as they rest. Lindal stays out to keep watch and sees that soon forms are moving on the beach rather indistinct at this range but after twenty minutes of movement a bell is rung calling the Hydra to come dispose of the bodies of the dead that were piled up upon the beach. Seeing the Hydra make its way over slowly Lindal hides while the rest of the group throw up a mighty Illusion concealing their cubby and their luck holds as the Hydra does not investigate the new pile of boulders on its way to a sizable feast. Unable to safely rest so close to the magical creature and seeing a way past the Hydra the group sneak away down the river bed out of sight but Freya slips moving through the illusion making some noise. Eddie and Celadon between them magically keep the Hydra's attention focused elsewhere to avoid an awkward underwater fight within sight of a pack of guards.
Rather than risking coming above water within sight the group find another hiding spot on the other side of the Hydra's lair but this time they climb into a Rope Trick to shield them from detection. Inside the Rope Trick they do not hear the ruckus just one room away as Nightmare-speaker Fenzala and the Yuan-Ti Abomination Vizzard use the chaos to stage a Coup which fails badly after Ras-Nsi throws his magic around. Converting his champion into a T-rex and throwing some powerful fire spells he incinerates most of Fenzala's foottroops and the Abomination proves no match for a T-rex in one on one combat especially when the T-rex is piloted by a very skilled former gladiator.
The coup suppressed - Ras-Nsi summons a few others to his throne room to be magically questioned for involvement in the coup. Most are sent away after pledging their loyalty but a nervous Ishmakhal knowing the magic is going to blow his cover breaks down and admits to working for the family and throws himself on Ras-Nsi's mercy. Ras-Nsi though has little mercy to provide at the moment and begins putting both Fenzala and Ishmakhal to the question.
========= Use the Force (wall) =========
The throne hall is still filled with the dead and patrolled by the undead when the party sneak up. The hydra ate many bodies but even its appetite has limits. So as the party creep into view they see Fenzala chained to a pillar as well as held by a pack of ghouls. Ishmakhal on his knees is menaced by the T-Rex while Ras-Nsi questions both about their allies. At this point the group decide a to storm into the room flinging spells and swinging weapons in an even greater melee than the last one. Celadon opens things up with "Arctus Cimber sends his regards" before casting a spell that Ras-Nsi easily shakes off. But in the chaos of the opening attack Lindal slips through the crowd of defenders to Ras-Nsi's side and slips a blade between his ribs. But even suffering from the death curse a former high level paladin and high-priest is no delicate flower and he cloaks himself in magical flames to counter any cold based magics the group may throw at him.
Fireballs are thrown. Magic gets countered and sometimes even the counters are countered. Freya and Kylorin face off against the massive T-Rex and thanks to the element of surprise manage to bring it down and before it gets to swallow anyone whole so instead they face a greatsword wielding champion of Ras-Nsi.
It is a Massive fight, with swarms of ghouls, dark priests, and powerful magics. At one point Eddie and Celadon get trapped under a wall of force with a ghoul tearing apart Eddie. Struggling to get back to help his friend Lindal is cornered by the dark priest and is almost inflicted with suggestion forcing him to stand near Kylorin else he be turned against the party. The fighters repeatedly shake off the paralyzation touch of the ghouls. And Eddies fireballs incinerate the century old corpses en-masse.
Ras-Nsi still proves a formidable spell-caster even after having cleared out many of his top spells dealing with the coup and its aftermath. But through sound tactics the Group picks off Ras-Nsi's allies one by one. Eddie ports himself and Celadon out of the dome of force and into position guarding the magic plate. But Ras Nsi slashes at Kylorin with his flaming sword and seeing his allies dropping magically ports past the Sigil's defenders and uses the sigil to escape via some sort of mystical gateway out from the party's reach.
Celadon moves to free the beautiful Fenzalla who promises to help the party but in Infernal Ishmakal warns Eddie that Fenzala can not be trusted. Fenzalla clearly conversant in Infernal hisses her displeasure but Eddie silences her by turning her into a statue of ice.
(This is where we should have ended - will repeat the next bit at beginning of session as we were all exhausted at this point as it was very late)
Ishmakhal briefly fawns over the party.
Ishmakhal: Eddie, you've returned. Are you working with Matilda?
Eddie: ...
Ishmakhal: Oh it doesn't matter either way. I am just glad to see you.
Oh how I have missed you. The family's been so dreary without you. It's all dark gods, blood sacrifices and other bull****. I'm a hedonist, that's not what I was interested in Eddie. No one laughs anymore. Heck, I'd been thinking of following your lead in leaving actually.
My cover here was great. I mean I lived in a harem - my every want taken care of. Luxurious clothes, Decadent food, Beautiful co-workers. And you would not believe the drama I cause wearing someone's face going into someone chamber and telling them off or flirting with someone's else's spouse. It's all so delicious. I can cause scandals like you do not believe. I mean I got Sethlok thinking Ras-Nsi's old consort had a thing for him and now after his clumsy wooing she now moons over him and they even have became an item. Oh the scandals I cause are like plays for my entertainment. It is the happiest I've ever been Eddie.
But wait you must introduce me to these delectable friends of yours. Hold the presses. What do we have here? My dear what are your pronouns? What a gorgeous Dragonborn... Such fine musculature and yet the scales are almost iridescent. And such a lovely little companion too. *Seraph hisses at Ishmakhal in response* Whoa nelly, You remind me of a few of my coworkers now. Haha
I see a nice half elf specimen. I really like the ink work but honestly beautiful elves are a bit trite these days. Now I have this one elvin brawler with a broken nose that I absolutely love. Remind me to show you sometime...
I see you brought your friend Vinny. Or Lindo. I'm sorry I'm so bad with names. Much better with faces which incidentally is more my field of expertise.
And this looks like a Female Dwarf with red hair? Oh this an excellent specimen Eddie. It's like Christmas in July. I do so love it when you bring friends to visit I don't even know how you manage to find such a varied crew. So what brings you to this God Forsaken continent?
Eddie explains that the group is kinda busy and should focus on getting Ras-Nsi so they can retrieve the puzzle cube. Ishmakhal suggests they check Ras-Nsi's private vault behind the secret door where he keeps all the "good stuff". There they recover Moa's puzzle cube as well as Ras-Nsi's spellbook and several small portable treasures that Lindal selects out of the piles of treasure strewn around the room.
Upon Celadon picking up the cube a snake formed of smoke coils around him and Moa whispers in his ear, "Ras-Nsi always steals me first. I think he likes being compelled to speak only the truth to his subordinates. It reminds him of who he was before."
Party is then left wondering if they should hunt down Ras-Nsi or run now that they have the last cube.
Inspiration
Lindal - finding places to squeeze into and stabbing a fallen avatar in the back despite the vast array of defenders standing between them and the party.
Experience (challenge based) 5300 Individual => 43531 cumulative
Slavemaster Issar and slave grotto guards - 500
Rescue of slaves - 1000
Sneaking past Hydra - 500
Slaying Sethlok and others from Ras-Nsi's inner circle - 1300
Defeating Ras-Nsi - 2000
Allies
Seraph - hoping to make it out alive
Treasure
Slave grotto
Various perfumes as well as Hydra oil for iridescent scales
Red silk turban sewn with malachite gemstones (250 gp)
Golden hand mirror (75 gp)
Throne-room
Sethlok's Magical greatsword
Treasures hastily gathered from Ras-Nsi's treasure vault (List subject to change as we revisit that scene)
Decades old Hellenic wine bottle (50 gp),
Bejeweled Arch Prelate Robes (250 gp),
Fine Mezroan Feather cloak (75 gp),
Gilded Moonelf harp with silver strings (100 gp)
Ras-Nsi's Spellbook
Cantrips : Chill touch, Fire bolt, Mage hand, Mending, Poison spray
1st level : Expeditious retreat, False life, Magic missile, Shield
2nd level : Blindness/deafness, Hold person, Misty step
3rd level : Animate dead, Counterspell, Fireball
4th level : Blight, Polymorph, Fire shield
5th level : Contact other plane, Geas, Wall of force, Dream
6th level : Create undead, Globe of Invulnerability, True seeing
7th level : Teleport, Delayed blast fireball
8th level : Maze
9th level : Time stop