Light drifts into the inner chamber of the snake hole, bringing the wet soil smell and humidity from further within. We discover a three-pronged area ahead. Taylor and I spot a Stone Golem at our feet, something we’ve never encountered here before. Despite rolling well, I’m clueless, so I turn to Chadee, who explains that Golems are crafted, not born, and shares our excitement over this rare find.
We carefully search the room for traps, with Kate and Taylor joining in, while Dylan detects magic. Venturing into the intersection, we’re drawn to some unfamiliar hieroglyphics to the right. Our stealth is compromised when Cheddar accidentally makes a loud noise. The writing isn’t magical, and even with Cheddar’s natural 20 roll, it remains unreadable. Beyond the script, carvings depict a massive snake lifted by people. Chadee attempts to document it without understanding its meaning.
Dylan checks for recent visitors as his robot assists Chadee in examining the walls. They uncover a round room with alcoves and a central mound, above which a glowing orb floats near the ceiling. With no magic present, I illuminate the alcoves with my lantern, revealing mud piles with bones. Chadee theorizes this place was once a marsh, maintained by the orb before the area was settled. Investigating the piles, Seth identifies them as containing various snake bones, hinting at a history with serpents.
Returning to the central door, we face a puzzle with snake tiles that could shock us with a spell if mishandled. We try turning the tiles uniformly, uncovering human and additional snake bones, but manage to proceed.
In the next area, Alec and I find a skeleton with a rusty sword, suggesting a fierce battle with a giant snake. The magical sword taken from the scene emits smoke, offering a defensive advantage to its wielder.
Among the snake’s remains, we find a variety of intriguing items: a broken lute, a pocket stage, violet clothing, a lesser salamander elixir, cooperative waffles, a moderate addiction suppressant, anti-pode oil, and a Palanthar crystal ball containing water, alongside 76 gold pieces.
Stealthily, I advance to a massive domed room with a central pit, hearing water below. Taylor’s mining lore suggests a body of water at the bottom. Cheddar descends by rope, finding a pedestal with a golden ball in shallow water, which we suspect is linked to the marsh’s origin. We replace the golden ball with the crystal one, noting a slight increase in water but no flood, and decide to leave with the golden ball worth approximately 2000 gold.
Climbing out, we notice the water level rising but manage to exit safely. Heading west towards town, the tunnel eventually leads us to a familiar domed room—the site of our previous encounter with a giant snake, near a vein of gold. The adventure concludes with this unexpected return to a known danger zone.