Fejj brought the group to a halt. The sounds of the jungle had been slowly fading as the roar of rushing water grew louder. “Well,” he said with a sense of satisfaction, “there’s a sight to see.”
He wasn’t joking. The group stepped out of the foliage to see a rushing river cutting its way through the jungle. Approximately a hundred yards, the river crashed down a massive waterfall, filling the air with mist. Beyond the river, the jungle resumed and beyond that, they could see a series of rocky cliffs above the treeline.
“Even in my dreams, I could not imagine such a place.” mused Athasen.
“If I was artistically inclined,” said Allar, “I’d be out here to paint all the time. I wonder why others don’t venture out here. We’re only a couple days out from the city.”
“Perhaps they do.” said Zangdrax. “And we’ve just caught them on an off-day.”
“Unlikely.” said Fejj, using his foot to wipe away a single track at his feet. Its companions told a tale of the local denizens. “These types aren’t known to be friendly to outsiders.”
Athasen recognized the dual pattern of footprint and tail drag. “Yuan-ti.” he hissed in disgust.
“Bug spittle!” snarled Hoggle. “Snake-people.”
“It’s a good bet these cliffs are their home.” said Fejj, pointing to their destination in the distance.
“At this point,” said Zangdrax, “we have a rushing river between us and those rocks.”
“Leave that to me.” said Athasen. He muttered a quick prayer to Istishia, the goddess of water, and then cast a spell. A portion of the river diverted to the side, bunching up and forming a patch of dry land.
“Neat trick.”
“It’ll move with us. Let’s get going. The spell does have a limited duration.”
As the party progressed, Athasen moved the patch of dry ground with them, shaping the flow of the rushing water around them as they moved. They crossed quickly and Athasen dismissed the spell.
“You’re a handy one to have around.” said Langley.
“I believe that’s a compliment.” replied Athasen with a smile. “I imagine those aren’t common coming from you.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.” joked Zangdrax. Langley, for her part, gave no reply.
“Well, you may find I’m more useful than you know. I have some history with our likely foes.” Athasen’s hand caressed the hilt of one of his falchions. There was almost an eagerness in his gesture, as if he was looking forward to encountering the snake-men. His smile had vanished, replaced with a look of what one might see as anger.
Hoggle moved to the front of the group and used his axe to cleave a path through the jungle and the journey resumed. It only took another couple of hours to reach the cliffs.
The jungle thinned at the base of the rocky outcroppings. The cliffs rose a couple hundred feet above the jungle floor. Tall and narrow, the rock seemed to be roughly shaped as the head of some giant serpent. Upon the face of the cliff, the party could see a series of dwellings carved out of the rock. It was a magnificent sight, equal in many ways to the waterfall they’d just encountered.
“Wonders after wonders.” mused Fejj. “No wonder this land has drawn so many would-be explorers to seek its treasures.”
“And lured just as many to their doom. You smell that?” growled Langley.
They all did, a foul odor that meant only one thing: death and decay. A cursory search made the source obvious; the half-eaten and half-rotted corpses of several adventurers littering the base of the cliffs.
“Lizard dung!” growled Hoggle. “I think we found other expedition. One sent here ahead of us.”
“What killed them?” asked Allar.
“Do you have to ask?” grumbled Fejj.
“They were not attacked.” said Zangdrax. “Look closely. Their bones are crushed and pulverized.”
“Yuan-ti use blades, not bludgeons. Easier to deliver their poisons.” said Athasen. “So, what did kill them?”
“I have a guess.” said Zangdrax. “Look, there’s a path snaking up the side of the cliff.”
There was, but it was in poor shape. Only a few yards up the path, it was crumbled and broken, making traversing it difficult. Zangdrax nodded as the group made their way across the rugged rocks, as if it confirmed something for him. He pushed his way to the fore of the group.
“Taking the lead?” inquired the surprised Fejj.
“My people have an eye for such things.” came the cryptic reply.
The climb was slow, but steady. After getting about halfway up, Zangdrax suddenly rushed ahead. He drew out a dagger and flung it at the path ahead. It stuck fast in the ground, cutting a long vine as it did so. The whole mountainside seemed to rumble and a small avalanche of boulders and rocks came crashing down on the path right where Zangdrax’s dagger had landed.
“There’s your killer.” he said with satisfaction. “A rock fall trap. That patch of rough earlier on the path was the one they set off.”
“A kobold’s trap.” said Athasen.
“My people are not native to this land that I know of.” retorted Zangdrax.
“Yuan-ti are notorious poisoners. Such a trap as this is too crude for them. They’d want their foes to suffer, not die quickly under a ton of boulders and rubble.”
“Could the yuan-ti have hired some kobolds as mercenaries? Used them to build traps to protect their warrens?” asked Fejj, speculating out loud.
“Perhaps.” replied Zangdrax, “but I’ve never heard of such an arrangement.”
“Everyone has their price.” said Langley grimly.
“I’m inclined to agree.” said Athasen. “Let’s keep moving. The idea of kobolds together with yuan-ti unsettles me, but we’re here. No sense turning back now.”
Zangdrax’s keen eye spotted two more rock fall traps before they reached the dwellings. The path opened out onto a landing overgrown with vines and other plant life. Athasen took pause to catch his breath after the climb.
“Quite a view. This place would make an excellent base for the factions. Difficult to approach without...being...spotted.” He slowed the pace of his words as revelation struck him.
“I already figured that.” said Fejj. “If there are yuan-ti here, they’ve already seen us approach.”
“They not attack.” said Hoggle. “They know we dodge traps. Odd.”
“Agreed. Something doesn’t add up.” Athasen turned, placing his hand on the hilt of his blade and moved towards the entrance to the nearest dwelling.
“No,” intervened Langley. “There.” She pointed towards a thick patch of foliage on the opposite end of the landing. She moved towards it and pushed the brush aside, revealing a secret door.
“Good eyes.” said Allar.
“The obvious entrance is probably another trap.” said Zangdrax. “That’s how a kobold would think.”
“Good thinking.” said Fejj.
Athasen entered the secret entrance, pausing briefly inside to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The pathway moved deeper and downward into the mountainside. Cautious, he advanced as his companions lined up behind him, ready for anything.
He turned a corner and immediately heard the twang of a bowstring. He darted back and a crossbow quarrel embedded into the wall right next to him. It was masterfully shot.
“I did not have to miss.” said a voice in the dark.
“I believe you.” replied Athasen. “Who are you?”
“Are you friend or foe?
“Depends on who’s asking.”
“Enough,” said Zangdrax forcefully. “They didn’t attack on the path. They’re taking the time to parley with us now. Whoever they are, they’re more scared of us than we are of them. They’re not hostile.” The kobold knight pushed his way to the front, standing beside Athasen. “We’re a party of adventurers out of Port Nyanzaru. We’re here looking for our allies.”
“They died on the path two weeks ago.”
“We found them.”
“Go. You have no business here. We only want...” The speaker was interrupted by another voice, speaking in a strange language. The two conversed back and forth for a moment in that odd tongue before the first speaker turned his attention to the party again. “If you found them, why did you continue up the mountain?”
“We’re looking for a place that can serve as a base of operations in the jungle.”
“You would bring more adventurers here?” said the first. The second interjected again and the two spoke to one another in their alien language for a moment. “We would help you, if you would help us.”
Zangdrax looked back at his companions. “Now there’s progress.” He turned back to the voice in the dark. “I would prefer to negotiate terms with people I can see. You are well hidden. Come out. We will do you no harm.”
Two humanoid figures emerged from a secret chamber along the passageway. One still held a loaded crossbow, but had it aimed downward at the ground. Both appeared human at a distance, but as they closed, all could see the tell-tale scales of the yuan-ti upon their skin.
“Snake-people.” growled Hoggle with obvious hostility.
“You gave your word.” said the first speaker, who now hesitated to advance further.
“We DID.” said Zangdrax emphatically. He glared balefully at Hoggle and then glanced at Athasen. The big half-elf had made no hostile gesture, but remained poised with his hands on his weapons, ready for any treachery or perhaps to conduct some himself. “Stand down.” Zangdrax ordered Athasen.
“I don’t take orders from you, kobold.” retorted Athasen.
“There’s little point in not hearing what they have to say.” interjected Allar. “Stay your weapons...please.”
Realizing the whole of the party was against them, Hoggle and Athasen relaxed but remained vigilant. “Very well,” said Athasen.
“Come with us.” said the second yuan-ti. The two turned and withdrew further down the passage. The adventurers followed.
Some yards beyond, the passaged opened up into large underground chamber. A vaulted ceiling sat above them. Along the outer edge of the chamber, makeshift dwellings could be seen, crude and rapidly constructed. Huddled within several of them were small groups of yuan-ti purebloods, the species of yuan-ti most-human and least-snake-like.
“This explains much. Those traps were made in desperation.” said Zangdrax, “hence their lack of sophistication.”
“These are refugees.” added Fejj.
“Correct,” interjected the first yuan-ti. “We fled from warrens deeper within the mountain. We were exiled from our colony a few months ago.”
“Why?”
“We were imperfect.” said the second. “Too human. I am Jorya and my companion is Urarzu. We are what passed for leaders in our little ragtag bunch. We defend our colony from intruders.”
“Given the traps outside, I’m guessing that’s a problem.” said Allar.
“The surface world is easy to defend against.” said Urarzu. “The traps work and interlopers from that direction are rare. Some of the women and the old men keep watch and alert us when people approach. They spotted you, for instance, well before you began up the path.”
“The real problem is the warren we fled from.” added Jorya. “Those below launch raids on us through the many tunnels within this mountain. They murder who they can and steal our supplies. Soon, we will not have enough to feed ourselves.”
“And you want them dealt with?” asked Zangdrax.
Urarzu nodded. “We have little to offer you in return, save these ruins which you and yours seem so interested. Drive off the raiders and we can share these ruins together.”
“I doubt our employers back home are interested in parking their asses over a yuan-ti warren.” retorted Athasen.
“If you convince them otherwise, the point will be moot.” argued the Jorya in return. “If only a handful can inflict such pain upon them, they’ll not dare challenge a whole ruin full of adventurers like yourselves.”
Athasen found that logic sound, even if he didn’t want to. Realizing the rest were in favor of taking this deal, he relented. “Alright, we need a plan.”
“We have one.” said the Urarzu. “Jorya knows these passages well. He will slip down into the warren and cause a disturbance. When he flees, they will pursue and will follow him all the way back here. Once they do,” Urarzu clapped his hands together loudly. “You strike.”
“Smart snake-people will expect trap.” said Hoggle.
“He’s right. It’s too obvious a lure.” said Fejj.
“No, it’ll work.” retorted Athasen. “You don’t know how arrogant yuan-ti can be. They might suspect, but they won’t care, convinced they can overcome any such ambush.”
“You know our nature well.” said Urarzu.
---
Urarzu led the adventurers down a side passage from the main vaulted room. It led to a similar chamber, smaller and further inside the mountain. Makeshift barricades had been erected over the other exits from this room. Jorya moved one aside and dashed into the darkness.
“It will take him several hours to reach the warren and return.”
“And if they catch him.” worried Allar.
“They won’t.” said Urarzu confidently. “He knows these tunnels better than anyone and he can run without weariness for days if need be.”
“There’s a bit of that yuan-ti arrogance.” piped Athasen sardonically.
“What you call arrogance, we call confidence. The serpent gives many gifts and yes, half-elf, they do make us superior to people like you. But, as recent events have shown, even our strength has limits.”
“How it must stick in your craw to ask for help from outsiders.” said Athasen with a sneer.
Urarzu glared at him in anger, but kept his voice even. “Then you know how desperate we’ve become. Wait here for Jorya’s return and destroy those who pursue him. Do this, and we’ll welcome your people to use our ruins as a base.” With that, Urarzu departed.
“Well, we’d best set up an ambush.” said Zangdrax. “Langley, Fejj, and Allar, why don’t you take up positions to use your bows on those entrances. Athasen, Hoggle, and I will remain close to the barricades to engage anyone who comes through in melee.”
“Works for me.” said Langley, pulling down her iron mask over her face and taking up a sniper’s position against the back wall. Fejj and Allar did likewise. Hoggle and Zangdrax moved to the center of the room and kept watch on the exits. Athasen, in contrast, kept his attention focused on the exit Urarzu had used, the one leading back to the exile’s camp.
“Why do you hate them so much?” asked Zangdrax.
“Many years ago, after I was rescued from slavery, I became a part of a secret community, hidden deep in the mountains on the edge of the desert. It was made up of fugitives and exiles like myself, but we had an enemy. An illithid elder brain was determined to enslave us in his own bid for power. We called it the Overmind and it had already subverted a yuan-ti warren into his service. They attacked us ruthlessly. I saw what they did and how their poisons prolonged the suffering of their victims. I saw what they did to their captives when we tried to rescue them. And I remember the price we paid to finally defeat them.”
“And that was?”
“Some of our number made a pact with a fallen devil named Khershidion, who gave us powerful gifts and allowed us to finally defeat the Overmind, his illithid, and his yuan-ti slaves. But like all demonic gifts, they carried a curse and one by one I watched good friends turn to darkness.”
“I have heard of this devil. The baatezu who became tanar'ri in order to serve Orcus. Treachery is his nature.”
“We were desperate.” Athasen paused. “Not all that unlike our friends here.” He added thoughtfully, probably the first sympathetic thought he’d dared for their hosts. “We did what we had to survive and we paid the prize. Damn them.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, in a few hours, a pack of those screaming monsters is going to come right through those doors and you can kill them to your heart’s content.”
“I intend to.”
---
A loud crash woke Athasen with a start. He’d nodded off from boredom as they had waited. Beside him, he found he was not alone in that as Hoggle jumped to his feet and shook the sleep from his head. He yanked his battle axe from his belt. “Killing time.” he said with some glee.
Zangdrax had drawn his mattock and raised his shield; he alone of the three of them had stayed awake. Despite the noise coming from the passageways before them, Athasen could hear the tell-tale sound of bowstrings being drawn and the loud click of Langley’s rifle as their snipers made ready as well.
Jorya leaped over the center barricade and dashed through the room. Behind him came two more humanoid figures, each with snakes instead of arms. Hoggle leapt forward and sank his axe deep in the leftmost’s chest, while Zangdrax charged the right.
Arrows flew over Athasen’s head and struck two more behind the first pair. He reached down into his belt pouch and fingered the components for his haste spell, muttering under his breath the words to weave the magic into his body. After a second or two of incantation, the whole world seemed to slow to a crawl and Athasen charged left, towards one of the intact barriers.
His instincts were right as a massive bestial half-man crashed through the barricade as if it were made of paper. Above the waist, he was human; below he was all snake and a good nine feet in height at that. A yuan-ti abomination, one of their most powerful.
The abomination swung at him, but Athasen’s accelerated motion made dodging the strike easy. Still, he could see the glistening green ichor on the edge of his foe’s blade, likely a similar toxin to that which had slain so many in Darkhold so long ago. Athasen drew his swords and slashed at his foe. His blades tore flesh, but the strength of the abomination was truly fearsome to behold; the wounds only seemed to make it angrier.
Hoggle and Zangdrax dispatched two more of the snake-armed malisons when another abomination crashed through the last intact barricade. Allar, Fejj, and Langley fired in unison, planting two arrows and a bullet into its bulky mass, but that did little to slow it down. It charged towards the archers as the two diminutive warriors gave chase.
Fejj dropped his bow and drew his longsword, just in time to parry the abomination’s swing. The blow struck with such strength that it nearly took the half-elf archer off his feet. Allar loosed again as Langley drew her daggers and joined the fray to protect Fejj. Behind it, Hoggle jumped into the air and planted his axe firmly in the beast’s back. It spun in pain, flinging the goblin off and into the wall.
“Hey, ugly, pick on someone your own size.” cried Zangdrax aloud, banging his shield. The absurd idea that the not-even-3-foot tall kobold was the same size as the 8-foot tall abomination seemed to enrage it further and it turned to attack him. Langley took advantage of the distraction to plunge her daggers repeatedly into the monster’s wounded back. Overwhelmed by foes, the yuan-ti collapsed.
“A little help.” said Athasen from his side of the room. He was holding his own, as he was more seasoned in combat than his companions, but was still sorely pressed. The abomination was much stronger and its blows landed like thunder on each of Athasen’s parries.
“Here!” said Hoggle, flinging his axe with all his might. The weapon tumbled end over end before sinking deep into the abomination’s shoulder. The monster hissed in agony and reached to tear the axe out. Distracted, it failed to parry a renewed attack by Athasen, who plunged both blades deep into its chest. The monster breathed its last and fell back against the wall of the chamber.
Athasen yanked out his falchions and struck off the head of the dead beast with a double blow.
“Happy now?” asked Zangdrax. Athasen just looked back and smiled.
“Well done.” said Jorya, emerging from his hiding place. “They’ll think twice about coming up those passages again. We chose our allies well.” Urarzu emerged behind him and nodded in agreement.
“If I might venture a little yuan-ti style arrogance,” said Athasen, wiping the sweat off his brow, “we’re some of the best you’ll ever find.”
