Ea quickly conjure some minor light with her magic. With her usual grim humor, she says
These are not the Eternal Gardens of Pharasma, or at least they arent' describde like this in all the religious tomes I read through.
When the torchlight and holy light illuminated their surroundings, the first thing Grayface noticed was the snake-pattern on the floor, setting him immediately at unease.
Having no bearings on their location, pulled his sword from his backstrap and whispered to his friends in an abundance of caution,
"Everyone be ready for a fight. There could be enemies very close. Ea, get one of those wands handy in case a skirmish breaks out, if you would."
Rallos bends down to examine the inlaid pattern.
I am unsure if the pattern is a trap or a safe path....
- there are no auras within this corridor... an examination of the patterns in the floor reveal that they are indeed inlaid glass...
About a minute after the friends have been transported, a loud 'click' echoes around the corridors... and then, from the darkness of both corridors, a hissing noise grows louder and louder....
"I think now would be a good time for that wand magic, Ea!"
Yasmin casts Dancing Lights and sends two lights each down each corridor, to see what's going on. Does the hissing sound seem like serpentine creatures or does it sound like toxic gas?
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"Well, that's probably not good," Murassa observed as he wracked his brain for any information on what it might be. Of course, as this was his first proper adventure, he didn't really know much beyond the fact it probably wasn't the sound of a harem of beautiful women on the approach. "Any bright ideas?" he added as his favorite weapon formed in his hand.
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"May as well meet it head on. It beats waitin' here."
As Yasmin's conjured lights move away, Gray's eye twinkled angrily in the fading illumination. He begins moving down the south corridor, staying twenty or so feet behind the hovering lights, ready to charge anything appearing hostile that comes into view.
The sound, still increasing in volume, seems much closer to the sound of gas than it does to any kind of serpent... floating her lights down each corridor, they reveal nothing beyond the fact that both corridors turn to the right after a short distance
...and then, as suddenly as it had started, the hissing noise stops and, with a second 'click' all is quiet...
...marching along the southern corridor, it turns to the right once more - the passageways, thus far appear to be shaped in a spiral...
Rallos follows right behind Gray, his eyes straining to pierce the darkness.
The warrior tensed at Murassa's revelation. He could feel his adrenaline begin to surge...
"Not sure what you're talking about, Murassa. But the cold never bothered me anyway."
Yasmin wonders what that strange sound could have been. And then a suspicion comes to mind. "Maybe our enemy is moving about in gaseous form? Keep an eye out for that!" Yasmin follows along with the group.
Maybe we shouldn't stay here. I'll check, prepare to run if needed. Pharasma, I pray you to reveal me what Fate await us..
Ea concentrate, and her grey eyes seem to loss focus
The corridor is a relatively narrow passageway and, coupled with the poor lighting, is not an appealing prospect as somewhere to encounter something unfriendly… so, it is bad news indeed when Ea – her eyes unfocussed as she looks beyond what may be seen – confirms that something is approaching…
Get back from me, my friends... Something scaly this way comes.Begone, ghostly snake, by the will of Pharasma!
Ea lashes at the phosphorescent reptile with all the might of her goddess
A wave of energy bursts from Ea as she clutches at her holy symbol… and, seeing around the corner through her newly found powers, Ea realises that it has had no effect whatsoever upon the ‘ghostly snake’ that approaches…
Shit.
To hear the cold-blooded priestess swear is surprising, maybe a little frightening.
But maybe she is human and has some emotions, after all...
Whatever it is, it's not undead. An illusion? A trap?
As Ea’s impassive cool breaks, a ghostly apparition moves around the corner in the passageway and into view of the friends… a huge emperor cobra, with a body that is thick enough to fill the corridor, moving at a gradual pace towards the friends… it is translucent yet, as Ea has already discovered, it is neither a ghosts nor a phantom…
– it seems likely that the snake is some form of a conjuration….
"Retreat - let's go the other way."
Grayface beckons his companions to head off down the opposite way in hopes of finding anything other than a colossal snake.
Aye...the other way looks much more inviting now. Wait a second as i check for a trap...they might be herding us this way for a reason...
Rallos does a quick check of the hallway.
Turning tail and running away from the inexorable approach of the enormous serpent, the friends pass back through the chamber into which they were first transported... and then on into the other tunnel leading west... the same as the other tunnel, the glass inlaid into the floor leads the friends around and around before - just as they notice the temperature dropping - they come face to face with another snake. Filling the passageway and with venom seemingly dripping from its fangs, it moves as slowly and as definitely as the other serpent...
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"Well, seems we're between a rock and a snakey place, my friends," Murassa said gravely as his hand tightened on his weapon. "Unfortunately, transportation magic isn't really my forte, as it were, so it is either fight or die. Or fight and die. However, you know why we'll survive this? Because we are just too damn pretty, that's why."
With speech made, Murassa moved back to protect the more vulnerable caster from the snake behind them, hoping that Greyface would be able to handle the one ahead.
"Hahaha Ha!"
Grayface laughed heartily at Murassa's final sentence. No one had ever referred to him as "pretty" before and he figured this would be both the first and last time. The odd mix of levity, frustration, and pre-battle rage tickled along the warrior's spine, setting him on edge with an unusual clarity.
His veined muscular arms bulged as his blood began to flow vigorously. He chopped at the air between him and the massive snake with rapid circular swipes that hummed with every stroke.
This snake is gonna hurt before I go down.
Ea uses the Shield of Faith wand on Grayface
Yasmin, can you dispel the magic that bring these reptiles here?
Grayface’s sword hums through the air as he swings it in preparation for the coming onslaught… but when it comes, it takes the well-prepared warrior by surprise… as the serpent draws ever closer, the air seems to thicken – the sensation is almost as if cutting through water. And then, with the snake bearing down upon him - no more than a foot away from his outstretched blade - Grayface is abruptly knocked off his feet and pushed backwards… an invisible wall of force, moving with the serpent, repulsing him…
Of course Rallos, sorry.
Ea uses the curative wand on the tiefling
Oomph!
Some intangible field of force slammed into Grayface. It felt like getting socked in the jaw by a tavern champion, and yet he was still thankful that the giant serpent hadn't swallowed him whole.
"Back up!"
Gray frantically pushed back against his friends to escape the slow-moving snake, scanning the floors, walls, and ceiling for any indication of a way out of this tunnel.
Shuffling backwards, looking for escape routes all the time - in the floor, in the roof above them, in the walls - finding nothing, they are backed into the small room where they were first transported to... somewhere along the corridors, something audibly clicks and the serpents - one at the entrance to each of the corridors - coalesce into tangible and apparently very real monsters...
Each of the serpents opens their mouth... their bottom jaw seeming to detach as if preparing to swallow something huge... but, instead of biting forwards, each breathes a luminiscent green gas into the small room...
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Shrugging off whatever the gas was trying to do to him, Murassa moved forward to confront the now-solid snake creature on his end of the walkway. Setting himself up as a barrier, he concentrated on feelings of force and power before shooting off three missiles from his hand to impact against the implacable menace. "We must hold the line!"
Gray sucked in a quick breath before the gas could enter his lungs fully. Stoking his rage once again, he unleashed a flurry of chops with his magically sharpened sword upon the giant snake, though he kept his shield up and at the ready to deflect the anticipated counterattack.
Yasmin calls forth new magic she has gained from her growing connection to her powers. The party suddenly moves much more quickly!
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Rallos moves forward and lashes out with his blade.
That's not worse than decomposing corpses.
Grayface, fighting the choking gas, sweeps his sword in glorious arcs against the snake – but neither of his first attempts pierce the snake’s armoured hide… Rallos, suffering as his lungs fill with poison, stabs forward – his rapier finding a weak spot and sinking deep into the creature’s flesh…
Standing behind Grayface and focussing on the same foe, Murassa unleashes a salvo of missiles…
Feeling a sudden burst of energy and agility, the fighter's harnessed the boon by putting his blade to further faster work.
The friends, corralled into the central room, continue their defense against the snakes - Grayface cuts one of them a grievous blow... Ea however, struggles in the confines of the room...
...the gas continues to pour from the open mouths of the snakes - filling the room with a choking vapour...
The serpent's vapors couldn't be avoided after a time it seemed, and so its poisonous clutches took the wind right out of the fighter's sails. Though still enraged, the air around him felt like thick pudding against his arm as he swung.
With heroic strength, she manages to stay awake, and blasts the snakes surrounding them!