In a Nest of Vipers

*In a Nest of Vipers* is the title of the seventh episode of the second season of S.H.A.D.O.W. and the nineteenth session of the entire game.

This session was played on December 17th, 2017

## In a Nest of Vipers

### Writer

Jonny Christie, Matt Christie, Richie Maynard, Eric Rios, Corey Sexton

## Plot

Aguero and Aragi prepare for the incoming doom by leading a team to a familiar location.

## Synopsis

There is a brief shot of the Temple of Precious Light as screams of terror are heard and it bursts into brilliant purple flame. A disheveled and mental Saint Opia emerges. Absolutely maddening. Aragi awakes and still hasn’t come to terms with the return of Aguero and Mathite. He heads to the mess hall to speak with Mal. Mal asks Aragi who his favorite and least favorite people are in the circus. Before he can answer Aguero and Mathite walk in. Mal mentions it doesn’t matter since they’re all going to die and it’s the fault of those two. Aragi spots Dr. Ximer and Lara enter, a bit too friendly. He shrugs it off. Aguero asks Mort to make him spectacles, he declines since he just woke up from a coma and the destruction on the way is more important. Aguero asks Lara for a job and she gives him the task of solving the destruction on the way. He apologizes to them each about the destruction on the way and leaves. Feeling unloved. Meanwhile is Maeurt, Phylyco and Ela are planning to kill a member of the Eris World Counsel. The Defteros’ are there too, but on the journey Rathisi went into a deep sleep and hasn’t awoken yet so they sit out of this mission. The two discover Noadille is incredibly paranoid and even hides out in the slums so no one can find him. They go out to search and Ela spots him almost immediately. She gives him two copper and the tiefling offers her a better life as a sex slave. Before she can answer Phylyco comes up to her. The target starts to shuffle away. Phylyco asks him what he’s up to as he starts to run. The Man chases after him and takes him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. He drags him to a sewer and drops the fellow in, telling Ela to head in after him. She declines because she has some sort of respect for herself. Phylyco insists so he removes her boots and goes in. Back in Aethel (City), Aragi has made a camp just west of the city. He is taunting the forest, waiting for someone or something to attack him. Aguero follows the screams and finds him. He calms his fellow half-elf down and they share their ranged items with each other, fascinated with each. They sit down and scout for the night.

In the sewer, Phylyco and Ela tie up Noadille as he wakes up. The Tiefling thinks they were sent by his Son to “Take care of him”. He quickly realizes they weren’t once he discovers they think he’s the Counsel member. He reveals to them that he is retired and his son, Tebazile, is on the Eris World Counsel, not him. He also reveals he’s only following his son around because he fears that he is in danger, clearly his paranoia was justified. The two find out that Tiefling’s are not allowed to have natural-born children and when Phylyco decides they should hunt the son, Noadille loses his mind threating the pair. Phylyco fills a rag with shit and stuffs it into the victim’s mouth just as the floodgates open and he is covered in a wave of feces. He gives them no information on where to find his kid and says some vulgar things to Ela, causing Phylyco to shove a brick up his ass, killing him. Meanwhile, Aguero shares with Aragi some more information about S.O.R.R.O.W. and Saint Opia. They plan to fortify Aethel in case they attack in the near future. Aguero has Mathite send a letter to the Kokkalo tribe and the two go to Hylophagous for anything he can think of to help them. The only thing the Saint thinks of is obtaining the final Di-Syl’s gem in Aethel. That will give him enough power to take down his sister. He also offers a protection plan to Aragi, which he won’t like. Phylyco and Ela decide to grab Xander for the fight against Tebazile since he has the support of the paladins. They wait until the tiny devil leaves the guild house and heads to a bar. Xander causes a distraction outside while the other two sneaks in from the back. They get into the building as Xander gets a majority of the guards out to fight him in the front. Phylyco kills the paladin and the target bolts up the stairs where Ela is to kick him back down. Phylyco lifts the midget up by the horns and slams him down against the floor repeatedly until Ela just straight up slices the little demon’s head off with her scythe.

Aguero sends his letter and then heads to the library with Aragi and Mathite. They look up anything on black lotus and Aragi remembers back to a stone face guarded by a spectator. Aguero is convinced it’s a clue and heads back to the circus to put together a team and go there. Phylyco, Ela, and the Dragons head back to the circus. Rathisi is still in the dream state and Xander asks about the missing Cal, Who Ela completely ignores. Aguero starts his recruitment with Rava who belittles him for failing her brother. He then goes to Mort, who is still a dick. He did build Aguero some spectacles for him however and when Aguero gives them to Aragi, they are completely black. Dick. They then go to Mal, who outright tells them it’s a bad idea. Lara also declines. It’s at that point where Phyl and squad return and they don’t even get their job done before the half-elves ask if they want to join in. There is a loud argument, Aguero is very upset no one wants to help them until Mal steps up, and tells them to follow him so he can show them what a terrible idea it is.

Phylyco will only join them if Aguero can help him use the staff of the python he found. He does so he and Ela join them. Aguero asks about Cal but Ela avoids it again. They also grab Xander because the more the merrier. They find the statue, unguarded and Aguero, Aragi, Phylyco, Ela, & Xander head in while Mathite and Mal keep watch outside. They enter the den, sticking together. They get to what appears to be the center of the crypt and find a massive hole that goes too deep to see with a spiral path heading down. Aguero drops a torch down the hole and literal hundreds of snakes begin to slither up towards them. They begin to fight them off until they hear a massive roar from below as the cavern shakes and something is charging up towards them.  It gets to them as they keep fighting and it’s revealed to be a bull gorgon. They fight it off as best they can until it breaths at Xander and the petrification begins. Luckily it ends just before it reaches his knees. Phylyco kills the Bull gorgon while Aguero & Aragi help Xander get out. They manage to get him out with the help of Mal and Mathite and Aguero shoots a firework arrow at an oil flask to hold back the snakes, causing an explosion and a cave in, trapping Phylyco and Ela inside.

## Cast

### Main

* Aragi Maxul
* Phylyco Brokenwhisper
* Lara Youngheart
* Aguero Cryhawk
* Mathite'Vomenos
* Elatherial Ebonscar
* Mal Bloodjaw
* Rathisi'Defteros
* Saint Hylophagous

### Supporting

* Mort Soulspark
* Vida Soulspark
* Ravalyssa Darksbane
* Xanderfos'Defteros
* Saint Opia
* Hayvard Ximer

### Guest

* Noadille
* Tebazile

## Trivia

* Rob Christie did not attend this session, despite being available. To counter, Rathisi went into a deep sleep that lasted almost 96 hours in game.
* Calapharious does not appear in this episode at all, Many of the characters ask where he is throughout but his sister, Ela, doesn't ever answer any of them.
* The party returns to the Gorgon Den from "Let the Show Commence" in this session.
* First session to have a Tiefling as the assassination target.