185: 25% Too Much Twerking

## Summary

The struggle to overthrow the despotic lizardfolk chief Chilchirah continues! After a fervent battle, Raphina's *Spirit Guardians* deal the killing blow and Chilchirah's body finally lays prone on the cave floor. Before drawing his last breath, Chilchirah utters some cryptic words about Savnok the Inscrutible and demons. The party then free a plethora of animal gods from their incarceration in Chilchirah's stomach, before Batthwack himself is swallowed by a giant toad in another part of the cave. He is freed by Will and Dew just in time for the party to be greeted by a host of lizardfolk.

## Synopsis

The party continue their fight with Chilchirah. The battle is a confusion of lizardfolk Kek struggles against lizardfolk allies who have been turned by Chilchirah. The lizardfolk shaman turns into a crocodile and disappears around the south corner. A glistening black scorpion tail emerges from Chilchirah's back, but fortunately Batthwack avoids being hit. The barbed tail sprays noxious-smelling liquid out of the tip as Batthwack parries it. Bilaroth bites a turned lizardfolk ally, killing him. *"That is what you get when you turn on us!"* Chilchirah turns his gaze menacingly at Bilaroth and points his sword at him. Brom raises his quarterstaff over his head. Strands of kelp are visible along it's length as he does so, and then he brings it down on Chilchirah. Kek attacks, clawing at a lizardfolk and biting him in the face. Hilula runs up next to Batthwack to attack. Mo is healed by Dew's *Healing Spirit* Kirby while he climbs up Chilchirah's body, stabbing as he goes. Dew fires his flaming arrows at Chilchirah and another lizardfolk, killing him. Perhaps inspired by Mo, Batthwack also climbs up Chilchirah, slashing with his sword. Chilchirah roars out in pain. Raphina calls her *Spirit Guardians* (or *Gardens*), who appear as a conga line of people dressed in vegetable suits, moving towards Chilchirah. A lizardfolk enemy is blasted by the radiant energy from the *Spirit Guardians*, then attacks Hilula, before Will eldritch blasts and kills him.

Just as Chilchirah is drawing his strength, the *Spirit Guardians* blast him with radiant energy, knocking him sideways. His feet are kicked up to the side, his wings are sucked into him and he slams into the ground crushing and killing the sleeping lizardfolk enemy. Batthwack is just able to get out of the way, but is partially pinned. Mo is crushed underneath Chilchirah's bulk.

Chilchirah, lying prone, gasps *"Did Savnok send you?! You smell of god. That is just like Savnok, they don't call him "The Inscrutable" for nothing!"* Chilchirah sniffs the air and says *"Is that demon too?"* before his eyes roll back into his skull, dead. Dew notices something small poking up from inside of Chilchirah's stomach. He grabs a sword from a fallen lizardfolk and cuts Chilchirah's stomach open.

A small, green, barbed object emerges, which Dew immediately identifies as a praying mantis arm. The rest of the praying mantis emerges as it pulls itself out of the hole, and begins to enlarge the hole with its arm. While this is happening, Will flies over (grimacing with disgust) to see if he can see the crocodile lizardfolk shaman guy, but rounding the corner, finds nothing. Out of the hole in Chilchirah's stomach, other creatures start to crawl and fly and clamber and spring. A dark brown sparrow comes bursting out in a flurry of feathers and flits up to the ceiling. Crawling to freedom, they see a tuft of red fur and the tail of a bright red squirrel. Sliding out of the hole and onto the ground is a rather large carp, which proceeds to flop around in the mud. Dew collects the trout and runs out of the cave, in search of the river.

Next, the small, black, barbed tail of a scorpion emerges. All of a sudden, the tail vanishes and a scorpion appears about two feet outside of the hole. Then it suddenly vanishes and reappears three feet away, before continuing in this way. Then from the hole climbs a massive, cool-looking tortoise. Meanwhile Mo has extracted himself from under Chilchirah's bulk and is leaning back on the ground, totally stunned by the cavalcade of creatures pouring out of Chilchirah's stomach. Pointing he shouts *"The Coursing Carp! The Warping Scorpion!"* Raphina heals everyone.

Batthwack notices something weird happening with a boulder in the south of the cave. Will eldritch blasts it and it croaks loudly a deep, resonant croak. They realise it is in fact a toad as it turns and begins hopping away. Will is convinced this is the shaman in disguise and eldritch blasts it again. *"Is that you?"* he shouts but only gets another croak in reply. *"Who are you?"* he shouts. Croak. Batthwack tells Will to hold his fire as he approaches, asking in draconic *"Are you a lizardfolk shaman?"* Suddenly a large tongue shoots out from the toad's mouth, striking Batthwack and wrapping around him. Will shouts *"Hey, get off of him!"* Kek comes running and Will fires another eldritch blast. Raphina comes running. She can comprehend toad, and speaks to it, saying *"What are you doing?"* The toad replies with a croak which she can translate as '"Scared." *The tongue tightens around Batthwack, he's pulled off his feet and into the toad's mouth. Raphina heals the toad and tries to calm him but he just keeps replying* "Scared."

Meanwhile, Dew has reached the lair entrance and deposits the carp in the river here. It swims round in a circle and then swims away. On his way back to the group, he encounters a group of lizardfolk who seem to be a mixture of guards, common types and a few captains. They seem to be a little confused and scared, slowly making their way towards the cave. Not speaking any draconic, Dew can do little but wave his arms and yell. He runs through them towards the north entrance. They're startled, but warily, they follow him. At the cave he notices that Chilchirah is now quite deflated. Mo is stroking the squirrel. *"This is Blood Red Squirrel!"* Dew explains to Bilaroth about the lizardfolk who were following him. Will tells Dew that Batthwack is inside the toad and while they discuss how to calm it, Will casts *Sleep* and the toad falls asleep. Dew pries open the toads mouth and Will holds it open with *Mage Hand*. Dew manages to get a hold of Batthwack and is eventually able to slide him out.

At that moment, the party hear raised voices from the side of the cavern. The lizardfolk who chased Dew have arrived.

## Trivia

* Eric is describing the final moments as Raphina's *Spirit Guardians* smite Chilchirah's ruin on the cave floor: *"It looks like he was clenching his fists and was drawing his strength when all of a sudden these celestial beings that are swirling and whirling hypnotically in these fancy dance moves all around Raphina... There's, I would say, 25% too much twerking, but otherwise it's just majestic... It looks so strange because he's so huge, but he is knocked sideways, his feet which are pressed up under his flesh are kicked up to the side, his wings are sucked back into him and he slams to the ground."*