Session 12

3rd cycle, 22nd day, Year 5850

• During the celebration hosted in honor of the return of the sacred spear, the Green Gems also learn of another set of Yuan-ti ruins, not far outside of Cara territory.
• They decide to go and explore that, before tackling the test of strength.
• Salazar and Bebe both try to make an acquaintance of the opposite sex, but fail to go all the way.

3rd cycle, 23rd day, Year 5850

• M'Kono leads the Green Gems to an ancient ruin nearby.
• The huge building is in complete ruins, but the 30' statue of a mind-flayer sitting in a chair is still in almost pristine condition, all things considered.
• From the statue, Bebe deciphers a mind-flayer name.
• They also gather that mind-flayers (if they were the ones to build this) are not fond of curves.
• In the ruins, the Green Gems find some ancient magical gauntlets that later turn out to make people very strong and able to carry a lot of things.
• They fight off some dinosaurs.

3rd cycle, 24th day, Year 5850

• The next day, they part with M'Kono and head south-east, towards the Yuan-ti ruins. 
• Before parting, M'Kono psionically imparts knowledge of the way to the ruins to Salazar.
• Towards evening, they encounter the Nalindor counterpart of the ogre. Smarter, leaner but just as savage.

3rd cycle, 25th day, Year 5850

• Late afternoon, they arrive at the ruins. 
• There are 6 buildings on land, where the ground is merely soggy, and a pyramid about 100' out in the swamp, half submerged.
• As they search through the buildings on land, they run into a carrion crawler, which paralyzes Bebe and almost gets Salazar as well.
• They find some potions.
• They draw in some giant toads who seem to be camping on the pyramid, and after killing them, make their way to the pyramid.
• They deduce that the entrance is below water.
• Salazar swims down to the doors, and open them.
• He gets sucked into the pyramid, hitting walls through the corridors. 
• He changes to crocodile form, only to see a 10' skeletal snake swim out, past him.
• Outside, Kelal jumps in the water, only to find himself facing the undead snake. 
• He dodges it's lightning bolt, but succumbs to the hold person spell as he tries to get out of the water.
• Salazar grabs Kelal in his crocodile jaws and drags him towards the surface when another lightning bolt forces him out of wildshape. He still manages, no thanks to his new gauntlets, to get Kelal on the pyramid.
• Meanwhile, Bebe is on his way out of the water as well, but the Naga turns on him and kills him with one bite.
• Bebe is drowning, and quickly.
• At the last possible moment, Salazar changes to a giant octopus and uses his tentacles to get Bebe out of the water and unto the pyramid, before squaring off with the Naga.
• Kelal gets Bebe back on his feet with a potion, and together the three manage to kill the Naga, the fight ending with Bebe blasting it's head off.
• While Bebe and Kelal lick their wounds and regain their strength, Salazar, still as an octopus, swims down into the chamber where the Naga lived.
• He finds some books, some coins and a coffer. 
• The books are now ruined spellbooks, and when he grabs the chest, it bites back. It's a mimic
• Locked in a deadly embrace with the mimic, Salazar slowly drags it out through the corridors filled with water and up to, so that they can all kill it.

3rd cycle, 27th day, Year 5850

• The Green Gems return to the Cara village.

3rd cycle, 28th day, Year 5850

• The test of strength, fighting a huge dinosaur, proves very easy when Salazar manages to charm it, then proceeds to free it.
• They learn that the white column came from an ancient cursed city.

3rd cycle, 29th day, Year 5850

• The Green Gems leave M'kono and his tribe after Obolak the shaman imparts Salazar psionically the way to the cursed city
• Somewhat past midday, they cross the river, and get attacked by a saber-toothed tiger while Kelal is making his way across.

3rd cycle, 30th day, Year 5850

• In a hilly area, they find a triangular tower (mind-flayer-made?)
• Kelal states that is must be connected to something bigger, as it is strategically stupid to make towers such as this in the middle of nothing.

3rd cycle, 31st day, Year 5850

• As they exit the jungle-covered hills, they enter Zamuco lands, another Moon Elf tribe. 
• Having been warned that they are very aggressive, the Green Gems take care and travel quietly and stealthily through.

3rd cycle, 32nd day, Year 5850

• Without incidents, they exit Zamuco territory towards evening.

3rd cycle, 33rd day, Year 5850

• At night, they get attacked by two nasty raptors.
• Halfway through the day, they stumble over warning signs (skulls hanging from trees), probably telling other Moon Elves that this is dangerous territory.
• As they progress further, the jungle shows signs of death and decay.
• As they approach the cursed city, they can almost physically feel the evil necrotic rot that is permeating the area.
• They finally find themselves in front of the cursed city.
• The only entrance seems to be through the main gate, which is a gargantuan snake's head, where you enter through the open mouth.