A few minutes later, a striking half-elven woman appears at you side. "Greetings, I am Madame Zelekhati. My girl told me you were looking for me? What can I do for you?" She purrs.
Zelekhati smiles. "Come walk with me, so we can speak more privately." As the party follows the woman, she takes you for a stroll around her garden.
patterns shifting subtly, that a roughly 5-footwide patch of sand seems to be moving about the surface, leaving behind new patterns as it travels.
Walking across a footbridge, the madam turns and says. "What is it that you really are after. I find it hard to believe you come to inquire of my garden." As Khamul speaks up, she says in response. "Privacy is one of the assets that makes the Dunes so popular. I will not betray my patrons."
"Trade secrets!" Zelekhati says in response to Titus. Turing to Khamul, she says. "Trade secrets!" She begins tapping her foot impatiently. You still haven't told me what your after. My time is valuable. If this is just social call, you'll have to come back another time." As everyone turns to stare at the sand, the patterns cease.
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"Call off your pet." Khamul says, dropping all pretext. "It's an interesting creature; I'm quite quite curious how you control it. I'm also curious as to whether the authorities know that you keep such a thing here-surely that's not standard trade practice, hm?"
"So," Khamul says, "here is the offer. You will give us information. In return we will not report anything to the authorities and both parties will go their own way. First, you will tell us how you control that creature. Then we'll go from there. Be sure that if you command it to attack, we will consider it a hostile act from you personally."
Madam Z quails a little as Khamul brings up her pet. "You are more canny than I first gave you credit. Fine, what is it that you want?"
The woman sighs. "Fine, I have a ring that I use to command the sandman some of you noticed in the garden. He spies on my clientele and reports to me what he has heard. Why do you wish to know such information?"
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"We have a friend who is interested in your methods. Perhaps you have heard of him? He goes by the name Torch. Now that you have revealed your secret we will keep our end of the bargain and not report you-but you would be wise to pass along any information you can to Torch. Perhaps he would be willing to buy the ring off of you or purchase your services for a hefty sum."
The woman shrugs. I have never heard of this...Torch person. Tell him I would be willing to discuss...terms."
"I agree in that I do not want conflict, but I don't even know this Torch person. Why should I help him? What's in it for me. I admit it amuses me that I am the subject of his interest, but I see nothing in this deal for me."
The madam smiles. "Fine, I am willing to entertain dealings with this Torch person, but I am reluctant to show him the ring I use to control my sandman."
Zelekhati motions to Shana and pulls her to the side, talking to her in low tones.
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Shana follows Zelekhati, wondering what this could be about.
Turning back to the party, Madam Zelekhati says. "I will agree to talk with this Torch, at least to hear what he offers."
"Like I've stated before, I have no idea who this Torch person is, but I will find out all there is to know, so enough."
Taking leave from the Dunes, the party heads to the Well of Serpents. Leaving behind the walls of Eto, the party heads out to the outskirts. A dark pool fills the center of this vast chamber spilling out of its cracked basin. The trickle of water flows west through a short tunnel of rough-hewn stone and pools at the bottom of a collapsed well. Alcoves set in the walls give the illusion of staring at the flared hood of a cobra. Two altars face each other across the pool in the chamber’s northwest and southeast corners. A statue of a robed human male stands in the northeast corner, and what must have been its twin lies toppled in the southwest corner.
Titus moves into the well and examines the southwestern statue, but finds nothing of interest.
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Not blessed with darkvision, Khamul reaches into his bag and feels around. Damn, I forgot to buy an ioun torch. Damn, I don't have any real torches either. "Can some one put up a light?"
"Ah," Khamul notes as the room and statues come into view. "An unholy shrine to Apep." When it becomes apparent that no one else has heard of this ancient god, he explains, "it's a snake god of Ancient Osirion whose portfolio included dangerous rapids, drowning, and darkness that consumes all light-which explains the darkness of this cavern."
Titus quickly chops the snake into pieces, ending it.
As Titus resumes his intended search, he does not notice anything near the intact statue.
After some thorough searching of the northern statue, Khamul finds a secret compartment. The compartment contains several items, including a burial mask carved from lapis lazuli worth 500 gp, three clay tablets describing funerary practices, and a rod of the viper carved from a single piece of petrified wood to look like a fanged serpent. The third clay tablet is a scroll with the spells deathwatch and false life.