Episode 3

The thumbnail for Episode 3, illustrated by Nelson

"**Temple of Venom - Episode 3**" is the third episode in the first arc of *Soulbound.* The party arrives at their final destination and draw nearer to completing the job they were hired for, but find that there are still several obstacles in their way, not all of them expected.

## Synopsis

The party continues down the path full of thorns, which ends in an overgrown shrine that appears to have been previously inhabited by a celestial being called a couatl. A crystalline egg is cradled in a carved claw above a plaque, which is in Common but has been scratched and worn away to the point that the only legible writing is *'search,'* the letter *'K,'* and *'desire.'* The egg, like the rest of the temple, is overgrown with vines, though they recede when Flint takes the egg. They name it 'Fernando,' then return to the dilapidated cobra-mouthed temple they had discovered before.

Upon seeing it again, they realize the temple is circled by the trail of crushed foliage that had traveled alongside the path before. They also notice a dais at the top that they didn't see before. A successful religion check from Kalius reveals that it is a yuan-ti temple. Flint enters the temple first to check for traps, but a failed investigation check yields no results. The moment the entire party steps into the temple, the cobra's mouth slams shut behind them and in turn activates a spike trap that Flint and Ronja manage to avoid but does catch Kalius in the shoulder. The spikes recede and the party continues further into the temple. The stairs to the second floor are also trapped with spikes; once again, Kalius is the only one who takes damage from it.

On the second floor, they can hear a voice above them, but between the party and the second staircase is a set of tiles with a series of odd symbols on them, all in the yuan-ti language and related to one of their gods but otherwise unidentifiable. Flint throws a spider mandible onto a tile with a symbol on it that looks like a flower with snake fangs, harmlessly triggering an arrow trap. The second mandible lands on a tile with an image of someone holding a snake, which proves to be safe. They make their way across the tiles; Kalius takes an arrow to the shoulder but the other two make it across unscathed.

The third and final floor of the temple is the roof, a bloodstained dais in the center with a young girl gagged and bound atop it. A pile of clothing, implying several dead adventurers and townspeople, sits to the left of the dais. On the far side of the dais, with his back turned to the party, is a yuan-ti priest holding a silver staff in the shape of a cobra with a green gem clasped in its mouth. Flint sneaks up to the dais, picks up the girl, and takes her back toward the stairs, but the yuan-ti notices their retreat before they can get much further. The girl runs down the stairs into the main body of the temple, but the party is prevented from following her when they try. The yuan-ti introduces himself as Arkoni and taunts the party, proclaiming that they will be the new sacrifices for his god and initiating a fight.

Kalius charges into the battle first and lands a solid hit against Arkoni. Ronja follows his example and casts *Thorn Whip,* also succeeding in her attack. Flint lands a critical hit, sending a crossbow bold through Arkoni's throat. In retaliation, Arkoni casts *Fear,* which takes effect on Ronja and causes her to see a phantasmal turtle charging at her. She attempts to jump off the roof to escape it, but both Kalius and Flint grab her by the tail to prevent her from doing so. Arkoni hits Kalius with his staff as well. Kalius casts *Bless* on Flint, then attacks Arkoni again. Ronja succeeds her second save against Arkoni's *Fear,* then Flint attempts to shoot Arkoni again but misses. Arkoni summons four small cobras, all of which attack Kalius. Only two of them hit, but one is a critical, which knocks Kalius unconscious. He succeeds his first death saving throw, and Ronja takes her turn to stabilize him and return Kalius to one hit point. Flint attacks Arkoni with his shortsword but misses.