Pahhu: Shifting Sands of Time 15: Aftermath

The hostages introduced themselves as adventurers, exploring on a contract from Arabel. The Yuan-Ti had taken many dozens of hostages, possibly even hundreds and as investigation parties were sent to look in on the problem they were often overwhelmed and captured. The hostages had been ritualistically sacrificed at regular intervals a handful at a time. As Pahhu looked around the cavern she recognized the evidence of many people having been held here, with scraps of cloth, personal belongings and areas flattened for sleeping.
 
The party spared what food and equipment they could for the group of adventurers, who gratefully took it and began to head towards the exit. As they went Pahhu began to question their role in the situation. Hundreds of hostages were dead, hundreds of Yuan-Ti were dead. Every day they’d spent not coming here had seemingly cost lives. The thought weighed on Pahhu, and she felt an uncomfortable itch in her head as she mulled the idea over. Had this been their fault?
 
As Pahhu voiced her concerns the party was quick to shoot it down. “Now is not the time, Pahhu.” “It’s better not to think about these things.” “They would have found a way to do it no matter what.” “We just have to live for the future.” The words of her friends were only barely convincing, but living for the future was something she could understand.
 
Theodore, in his dragon form approached the door at the end of the cavern, eager to push on while empowered. Unfortunately he triggered a devastating trap as a pair of enormous heavy blades swung from the ceiling and sliced into his dragon formed body. The blow was severe and Theodore lost his ability to concentrate on the spell due to the pain. It seemed that there were traps beyond the basic spikes they’d seen in the entrance of the cavern.
 
Rasheed investigated and made short work of the door’s locks and checked for more traps. It was clear. Ed went to push the door opened and a trap was triggered as a heavy swinging battering ram covered in sharp spikes swung from the other side of the door, slamming into him. As the dust cleared the next room was revealed; a great temple room with a Yuan-Ti Anathema flanked by two Yuan-Ti in robes. The floor of the room was a great pool of blood, seemingly the destination of all the blood collected from the sacrifices. Flickering green torches bathed the room in an eery glow.
 
The Anathema laughed as the trap was sprung, he introduced himself as Motzaiyu, a high priest of Sseth. He demanded to know if Pahhu was among them, as the preparatory ritual had been completed and only one remained to bring Sseth back to this plane. Marinette laughs at the proposal and tells Motzaiyu the only thing coming now is the future, and charges through the gore as Rasheed appears behind one of the adherents and decapitates her.
 
Ed, Nyx and Tona focused on the other adherent with Theodore and Pahhu keeping their distance and offering ranged support. As the adherents fell Motzaiyu kept his place across the pool of gore, as if baiting the group closer. As Ed waded closer the trap was sprung as a symbol of death erupted, filling the room with intense deathly energy. The Yuan-Ti cackled with glee, seemingly unaffected by the light though he soon fell to the party’s combined attacks.
 
With the energy burning them and instincts kicking in many of the party fled back to the previous cavern to escape the pain. Marinette, enraged beyond reason chose instead to lash out at what was hurting her, smashing the symbol on the door. At first Ed chose to help her, but he soon realized the power of the symbol was too much and turned to run. Marinette would not be deterred though and she broke through the door with a final slam of her axe and a heavy shoulder check.
 
The next room was the great heart of the temple. A massive blue-eyed six-headed Yuan-Ti Anathema dressed in finery and flanks by two blue-eyed disciples turned as the door crashed open. The Yuan-Ti wordlessly began to act, as the disciples rushed forward trying to take advantage of the situation. Rasheed attempted to obfuscate the party’s retreat with an eversmoking bottle, but it was too late. The Yuan-Ti had erected a wall of force, trapping some of the party within the symbol and separating them. The deathly energy was fraying Marinette and Rasheed’s bodies at this point; the situation was dire.
 
Pahhu called forth her most powerful spell, reaching into the temporal energy plane she opened a wide gash, channeling a blast of pure entropic energy into the wall, disintegrating it into entropic dust. With the way open Marinette and Rasheed tried to run, but a misstep by Marinette left her short of the exit, and as great cracks spread across her body it was questionable if even her own zealousness would keep her going with the deathly energy all around her.
 
The six-headed Anathema, Zuha, the Time Ascendant also saw Marinette’s state and with a single word spoke the judgment of Sseth upon her. The powerful word killed Marinette instantly, and her body skipped across the ground lifeless.
 
Rasheed used the smoke to hide in a corner, hoping to not be found. Knowing him near death as well the Yuan-Ti threw a fireball into the corner he was hiding; but Rasheed’s instincts saved him as he evaded it through careful maneuvering.
The battle looked grim, but with the cover of the smoke Ed charged forward to revive Marinette. Even as the woman once again drew breath the party tried to find defensive positions and recover the initiative; but it was too late, having had a moment to gather themselves the Yuan-Ti simultaneously teleported behind the party to the entrance of the cavern, cutting off their retreat. With the burning symbol behind them and the powerful blue-eyed Anathema ahead the only thing they could do was fight.
 
Powerful spells erupted on both sides, and the already weakened party soon found themselves scrambling to keep each other alive. Jorah and Marinette were knocked down again, and although Ed and Pahhu did all they could to keep their friends alive it was a battle of attrition they couldn’t win. Despite the party being conscious and together for a few moments, seemingly ready to turn the ride as a disintegration ray narrowly missed Marinette, things began to collapse as Theodore was singled out and clawed into, falling unconscious.
 
Jorah was targeted next, taken down and then ripped into to ensure the fatality. Ed brought her back, but in this time the Yuan-Ti finished off Theodore. Barnaby was enraged by this and tried to fight, but was broken into rubble in the next assault. Nyx was targeted next, and as she fell Pahhu unleashed a massive rip of time magic felling one of the disciples. The odds looked grim as the Anathema called a miracle from SSeth and seemingly recovered from all of his wounds. With their allies dead or on the brink it became clear that escape may be the only option.
 
Sensing his victory was near Zuha spoke a prayer to Sseth, the powerful divine word instantly shearing Marinette’s soul from her body. A disciple unleashed a barrage on Rasheed who walked along the ceiling, knocking him unconscious as he dangled from his spider climbing boots. Another spell ripped into Jorah downing her again. With Pahhu and Ed the only ones conscious it was clear that escape to get help was the only option. Ed made a valiant last stand as Pahhu healed Jorah and prepared to escape.
 
Perhaps playing possum or through sheer willpower, Rasheed opened his eyes. (Natural 20 death save.) He began to flee along the ceiling as Ed fought the Yuan-Ti valiantly alone. Tona grabbed Nyx’s limp body in her jaws and began to run for the exit, trying to save her master the best that she could. Pahhu grabbed Jorah and opened a gap in space-time, leaping through it to the surface above them to run. The two immediately began running southeast, trying to make distance.
 
Ed’s last stand bought some time for Tona and Rasheed to try to escape. Tona was chased by the disciple and after some well placed blasts the panther had no more strength to run. Rasheed though made a daring escape, using nolzur’s pigments to create an escape tunnel in the smoke he quickly sealed himself in, repainting the wall behind him. He tunneled towards the surface as the Yuan-ti ripped Ed limb from limb, calling him a race traitor.
 
Rasheed, Jorah and Pahhu met up on the surface. They began moving southeast with a quickness, looking for a place to shelter and recover enough to make it home to Lerwick. When they found a stand of rocks in the side of a dune they quickly set about excavating a simple cave and then sealing it with a rock to cover their makeshift entrance. As they tried to rest they struggled with the reality of the situation; only through sheer luck had three of them made it out.