"Let's kick down the door and tell them that their leader is dead!" Pilzip doesn't seem content to wait. "I'd rather not fight them, and it seems like they're already scared. I bet we can chase them out."
"We didn't fight the leader yet - that Serpentfolk we fought also talked about Salathiss, and he was impersonating Magistrate-Mayor Thuba, not Asanda. This Salathiss is still out there. We could offer them the chance to leave alive, though."
Ubasu blinks at Patizamo and then realizes the magus is right. "My bad. Hrm, let's proceed to clear out this place then. Is everyone in fighting shape? I'm a little low on magic, but I got enough left in me to go on."
Once you are ready, Baldrek kicks open the door! Aromas of sandalwood and mildew mingle in this long room. A wide bed fills the eastern end of the room beneath a high window overlooking the canal. Scattered papers and notes cover a desk that stands against the west wall. A large journal with metal bindings and a metal lock sits atop the papers.
Two serpentfolk sit on the bed, but they jump up as soon as they realize you have intruded!
Baldrek reaches the closest enemy as fast as he can before stabbing them.
Patizamo moves forward to get behind the serpentfolk Baldrek is attacking and strikes from flank, weaving Spell into his blade.
The serpentfolk prove to be quite nimble, completely dodging Mokhasi's scree! The elf's guidance helps Patizamo strike his target, though, the magus slicing into a foe with a claw-enhanced blade. Baldrek moves in to stab the same enemy twice.
The wounded serpentfolk speaks a quick spell to raise a shield in front of himself, then conjures a burst of liquid poison around it! The serpentfolk themselves seem immune to the poison.
The other one also raises a shield, then risks an attack of opportunity from Baldrek as he conjures an acid arrow to strike the fighter. It proves to be for naught, though, as Baldrek dodges the arrow!
Pilzip recalls what he knows about serpentfolk, hoping to find a weak spot.
Keeping his distance from the poison, the grippli unleashes a bolt of cold.
for and
Baldrek doesn't waste the opportunity the enemy presented and soon follows up with three more stabs.
Patizamo coughs from the poison fog cloud, but keeps up his focus on the wounded serpentfolk. He conjures his own shield in front of him, then captures some of that magic into his weapon so he can continue battling the creature.
Ubasu counters the chaotic sounds of battle with a deep hum. The Alijae also draws mystical symbols and runes in the air, mixing magic and song to protect his companions.
Pilzip's ray of frost narrowly misses his intended target, as does Mokhasi's flame! Patizamo lands a force-enhanced strike, then Baldrek finishes off the wounded serpentfolk with a normal stab and a brutal critical hit!
The venom pool continues to afflict Baldrek and Patizamo as the remaining serpentfolk sinks its fangs into Baldrek's arm!
Pilzip looks for weak spots in the remaining defender, then attacks with a spell.
for and
Patizamo focused, then teleported into a flank with Baldrek on the other serpentfolk . He then struck with his sword at the serpentfolk's flank before conjuring a shield of force and preparing to try and parry aside any spells that came his way.
"Cease your resistance! This ends now!", Ubasu exclaims with more than a hint of anger as the serpentfolk continues its efforts to maim Patizamo. Telekinetically, Ubasu picks up fallen weaponry and launches it at the serpentfolk.
Baldrek feels the poison coursing his veins as he keeps striking the enemies, moving around to escape the poisonous cloud.
The serpentfolk takes powerful blows from Ubasu's projectile and Baldrek's polearm. Mokhasi burns it with fire as well. Though badly injured, the reptilian humanoid continues to attack, biting Baldrek twice more!
Pilzip dances in to slash at the serpentfolk.
for and
for and
The creature's resistance to reason intimidates Ubasu who, when he raises his hands to throw another projectile at the serpentfolk, is somewhat reluctant to mirror the creature's aggression.
Patizamo again weaves magic into his blade, and strikes at the serpentfolk as he tries to bring it low with magical combination. He then conjures forth a shield of force.
The poison takes a toll on Baldrek's moves, making him increasingly weak. He stabs before stepping back and trying to deal with the poison.
Baldrek and Patizamo both miss, but Pilzip stabs the serpentfolk twice, and Mokhasi's fire finishes off the serpentfolk! It falls, and the venom pool disperses.
With the fight over, you are able to investigate the desk. The scattered papers on the desk are Magistrate-Mayor Asanda’s notes about the other members of Nantambu’s Governing Council and general governance in Nantambu.
The metal journal is locked, but Pilzip is able to pick the locks with a bit of work. The journal belongs to the serpentfolk leader, Salathiss, and it describes an artifact known as the Vesicant Egg. It doesn’t detail how he heard about it but describes that the egg is being held in an out-of-the-way laboratory on the Magaambya campus by a professor named Koride Ulawa.
The journal contains several diagrams and notes about the Vesicant Egg from hands-on study. Salathiss first assumed it to be some unusual type of snake egg, hoping that it might somehow hold the key to resurrecting the serpentfolk’s dead god Ydersius, but Salathiss soon realized that it’s an insect egg. As the egg is entirely immune to damage, Salathiss assumes it’s an artifact of some kind, and thus might be of use once he learns more about it.
The journal describes Salathiss’s technique of infiltrating the school through the unused storage area, in which he’d placed a few guardians, and using passwall to enter the laboratory where the egg is stored late at night. Salathiss proudly notes that no one on campus, not even Koride, has figured out why he was there; he notes “The fool doesn’t even realize the power she has access to, and she keeps it as a bauble.” Nevertheless, some “meddling students” recently blundered into the storage rooms and dispatched his guardians, putting the Vesicant Egg out of Salathiss’s reach for now.
In the second half of the journal, Salathiss writes on what he understands about Nantambu’s governance from talking to Magistrate-Mayor Asanda and reading his papers. Salathiss’s ambitions are plainly growing. He seems to be studying these to emerge as the ruler of Nantambu instead of hiding in the mansion. Salathiss calls this his “greatest role” and speaks of the power he will wield.
"Huh! Well, two big pieces of news."
"Should we try to stop this Salathiss now? He's plainly dangerous."
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Mokhasi thinks carefully, "yes, but I am running low on more potent spells. We should consider resting sooner than later. If this Salathiss is as dangerous as the other serpentfolk, we are in for a large challenge."
He shakes his head, after retrieving his notebook where he's catalogued their finds, "I do not see anything like a raven figurine in any of our sacks, and I have not endeavored to make one. Perhaps we can run quickly?"
Baldrek lets the others investigate while he takes a look on his own wounds. The poison is still taking course through his veins and weakening him, bu eventually he recovers, even if still very wounded.
Deciding to exercise discretion, you make your way out of Asanda's manor and back to the Magaambya in order to rest and recover from the day's ordeals. You have some time to make plans or purchases before returning to put a stop to Salathiss's plans.
Pilzip picks up a lesser antidote at the commissary.
"Any plans for confronting the imposter?" he asks his fellow students.