Without needing to resort to performance enhancers, the party party is able to easily pry up some of the floor, revealing a lower tunnel.
Dropping down into the tunnel, Nefti and Kafar's track are easily found once more. Looking around, you notice a series of interconnected tunnels. These dark, 10-foot-wide round passages extend throughout the region, allowing the creature that created them to travel throughout the Pillars of the Sun. Spots along the rough walls show signs of chemical reactions between the rock and some unknown substance.
Khamul is able to guide the party through the maze of tunnels in a timely manner. Coming back to the surface, two tall sandstone outcroppings rise to the north and south, channeling whistling wind and stinging sand through this pass.
The carcass of a giant serpentine beast covered in dried blisters lies in a heap at the gorge’s narrowest point, the body savaged by some powerful predator.
Strong winds channeled by the region’s topography blow west through
this area. The sandstone scarps are 50 feet tall and feature only narrow handholds (Climb DC 20), save for a recently collapsed section to the northeast that has jagged spars that can serve as more adequate handholds (Climb DC 15). This rock fall has created an area of dense rubble at the base of the escarpment where it fell. The rest of the area is covered in light rubble.
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"The death worm, as I suspected. Doubtlessly something else more powerful is in the area, as you say Titus. Do not approach it! Its blisters are poisonous and we should be careful if we are to go near and handle it. In fact, why don't you let the skeletons go forward and burst the blisters before we approach?"
Khamul will send his skeleton cohorts forward to purposefully pop the blisters while everyone else stands well away from the corpse (and downwind).
Khamul sends his minons over to pop boils. The dust ejected is thankfully blown away by the strong wind funneling down the valley.
Titus is met only with silence, but notices the creature moving further behind the rock.
As the party continues to call out, a large, slithering, multilegged blue reptile with a fearsome head crowned with two large, curling horns shows itself and climbs down the cliffside. "You have now trespaased upon my territory twice! That is an unforgivable offense!"
Khamul fires a ray at the creature, but it hit the canyon wall!
Corb drinks his mutagen!
The creature moves closer!
Shana fires an arrow that sails wide!
Titus pelts the creature wiht some missiles of force!
The creature steps back and breaths electicity on two of the skeletons!
Even dodging the worst of the crackling bolt, the two skeletons crumble into a pile of charred bones.
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Khamul seems unfazed by his fallen skeletons. They are only tools, and the grasp of such a tool feels uncomfortable in my hands anyways. But I must make use of my foul upbringing and turn those forces for good now.
Khamul orders his skeleton to move behind the beast.
If it survives, the skeleton claws at the creature:
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Khamul will try his same tactic again:
The necromancer then closes the gap between himself and the beast and swings his scythe at it!
As Khamul's skeleton moves, the creature snaps its toothy maw and destroys it while crunching on its bones. "Tresspassers will be punsished! I let you pass once, you won't pass again!"
Khamul then moves up and deals a blow to the creature!
Titus moves up and strikes the creature twice, dealing two nasty wounds to it!
Shana fires an arrow, but it misses.
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Corb finally grows in size, and is exactly 40 feet away (which is convenient, since that'd charging distance!) He rushes forward and reaches out with his sword ragingly!
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Corb enlarges and charges in, dealing a heavy blow to the creature!
The creature staggers under the blow, sways, then collapses!
Looking around, you notice a crown that the creature wears as a ring. Khamul is able to identify it as a Crown of Swords
The severe winds and hard ground make it impossible to locate any tracks; however, the party can infer that continuing down the valley is the natural route forward and is likely the path taken by your quarry.
The trail descends among many red sandstone arches and hoodoos as the afternoon sun heats the rock formations to baking temperatures. Periodically, you find signs of Kafar and Nefti’s passage, such as a discarded bottle, footprint, or shred of cloth. As the afternoon heat abates, the party begins ascending taller peaks.
If you intend to rest during your pursuit of the Aspis Consortium agents, doing so now—late in the day but before getting high into the mountains—is the best time to do so.
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"We cannot rest when we are yet hot on their tails," Khamul tells his companions. "Let us keep up the pace and hope to catch them before it is too late. They will hopefully be open to discussion, as it seems their disillusionment with the Aspis may have favorably disposed them not to try to kill us on sight."
Traveling through the heat of the day, the party is exposed to the blistering heat of the desert.
Once more in fighting shape, the party continues on, the air growing cooler as the sun sets and night comes on.
After hours of hiking, the scarps on the sides of the canyon gradually descend, until the whole of the terrain becomes a gradual slope encircled by distant mountains and deep chasms.
The open valley offers an unobstructed view of the region, and the party spots a campsite on a mountain nearby; the light of a campfire is clearly visible to the party just a few miles away. The signal soon disappears, but it is enough to confirm that you are on the right path.
When you reach the campsite, over an hour later, the party finds a recently extinguished fire, bloodied bandages, and fresh tracks.
Following the trail, you pass down out of the mountain pass and into lower altitudes. Movind down a narrow, sinuous trail, as you near the end, you spot two figures!
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Corb downs his mutagen as he meanders forward. As he grows more deformed, he calls out to the pair,
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