Reptile Goddess Slain: Game 23

General Summary

The Party met and slew Exlicita Defilius, the great reptile goddess! Probably 'Nuff said. However, the adventure primarily consisted of the Party sneaking around and avoiding many potential encounters and skirting disaster--conserving their strength for one climatic battle.

Rescued from the Cells of the Damned

After The Sunken Altar of Evil: Game 22, the Party interrogated the rescued prisoners who had resisted the power of the reptile god to charm and turn them into cultists. They were awaiting their death, which would result in them being turned into zombies and/or become anatomy subjects. The four individuals include: Tana Carpenter, daughter of the Carpenter family from Orlane, Maron Carpenter, father of the Carpenter family from Orlane, the Merchant Cloe de Menge, a Fultonian merchant from Northern Fultar, and Gertile, a humble servant and priestess of Tya Nehru. Their stories were consistent: they were taken through long tunnels with mud, dry land and mud over and over again. Having been traumatized and successfully resisting the power of the repitle goddess, little more information could be gained from them. The merchant and priestess did not want to join the Party, but instead hide and await their return. The Carpenters wished to join the Party, with Tana latching on to the Viking Skald at her strong protector and Maron more than willing to allow his granddaugther to ensure their safety.

Tunnels of Mud

The Party wandered through the tunnels and in and out of boredom, electing not to explore rooms with treasure chests, avoiding large muddy rooms, and resisted the charmed music of some sort of sirens (but failed to use the candle wax to plug their ears).

Pump Room

The Party also found the pump room, which the passageway slanted downward: small rivulets of water trickle dinto the darkness. Creaking and splashing noises can be heard from further along the passage. This is the lowest room in the dungeon. Here the water that seeps and trickles through the labyrinth finally collects in a muddy pool. Five zombies operate a system of buckets connected to a stout rope and pulley. As the pulley turns, the buckets are dipped into the pool and filled, then lifted through a hole in the ceiling. Another pulley is concealed in a hummock in the marsh. At the top of the cycle, the buckets are tipped by a cleverly placed block of wood, emptying the water into the marsh and returning for another load. The zombies here are very singleminded of purpose, and did not react to persons entering the room.

Troglodyte Lair

The party smelt a foul stench from this cavern well before they enter it. It was guarded by a male troglodyte, with a number of adult troglodytes camouflaged along the walls. There were two side chambers, one that contains nearly 1,000 troglodyte eggs, with a few of them beginning to crack open. None of the little monsters has totally emerged from its shell yet, but they may be swarming forth in a short time. A second room contains several thousand poisonous snake eggs, and quite a few of these have broken to reveal their squiggly contents.

Bonesnapper Lair

This small chamber holds a savage-looking reptile that strongly resembles a miniature tyrannosaurus rex. It is chained to the north wall of the cave and looks as if it can not come closer than 5' to the south wall. Several disturbingly human bones are scattered about, and four jaw bones have been driven into the dirt walls of the chamber. The Party snuck past the Bonesnapper, due to the crafty gnome.

THRONE ROOM OF EXPLICTICA DEFILUS

This huge cavern is lit by a ghostly green glow emanating from the eight columns supporting the vaulted ceiling. A rather large flatbottomed boat is set at the shore of the pool, and the water seems to occupy most of the cavern. The boat can carry ten persons, and has a long pole inside which can be used to propel it at a movement rate of 3". Explictica Defilus arrogantly awaite the party in her alcove with the shrukens skin of her forest gnomes. Here, who has proclaimed herself "reptile god" is coiled atop a collection of her favorite treasures, as well as the skulls of her most hated enemies. In addition to the permanent charm cast on any creature meeting her evil gaze, she casts spells and attacks with her poisonous bite and tail. After a brutal fight, the Party emerged victorious with the gnome climbing on top of the naga and driving her magic short sword into its brain.