ToA: Session 37

## **Rules of Lobster Life**

Neb takes point in speaking with the leader of the Aldani, a blue lobster man named Chactli. While Neb tries to hash out safe passage, he notices offhand the other lobsters possibly talking about taking the group to some sort of lake and someone named Lukatiki, perhaps to sacrifice them. Feeling the tension mounting the group presses to get on their raft and get out of their hair, to ensure nothing bad happens by mistake. Chactli agrees and sends half the group away, while the other five and himself stay to escort them out of their portion of the river. This leads to a rather uncomfortable ride where Neb politely entertains Chactli by listening to his many words of wisdom, which seems to further cement in their minds that the lobsterfolk are a bit...off. Especially the rule about petting a catfish every day? Weird stuff, weird lobster guys. As their talk moves onto the whispers from the other lobsters, it seemed Chactli had not heard the portion about sacrifice, and Neb bringing this up had affected him in some manner. Fargus, in a surprising moment of awareness, stepped in and put a stop to the discussion before it led to some sort of conflict. After all, nobody wants to fight giant water animal men on a small raft.

## **Rolling down the river**

Eventually the raft make it to the marshlands and the lobsters depart with a final farewell. The group continue through the mangrove waters, finding various signs of the CGC, and more obviously, idols and trinkets tied up in the trees. Little wooden plates and shed snake skins, stretching from branch to branch and covered in writings of draconic and abyssal script. The group recalls the charms of the ghoul cults they had met when they first arrived in the jungle, and everyone brings up their guard. Soon the light is blotted out by the canopy of trees, and the raft funnels itself down a tunnel of trees. And there in the trees, among the shed skins they see far more glistening looking scales and realize they are movng.

## **Fighting giant water animal men on a small raft**

Hanging from the trees are two monstrous man-snakes. Their lower halves were a writhing mass of seven snakes each, wrapped around each other in some sort of false tail, their scales glittered even in the low light under the canopy, and they each wielded bizarre looking bows. In the waters, hiding among the arching root nests of the trees, four more smaller snakemen sit waiting for the raft. And all around them three giant snakes burst forth from the water, and the group must defend themselves and their uncertain watercraft.

## **Snakes, why'd it have to be snakes?**

Kinlek, Dragonbait, and Artus hurry to engage the three giant snakes, while Neb, Fargus, and Daedalus focus on the four coming to attack them and the two in the trees. Daedalus starts by casting a fireball into the trees, attempting to burn out the two giant septasnakes. As the two monsters let out a horrifying scream they also return fire, and the group discovers that not only are they armed with magic bows, their arrows are literal snakes too! Neb fires into the water to try and keep the approaching smaller snakemen from getting to the raft, though they are able to use the water to avoid him. Fargus does his best to keep the boat on course. The battle rages on, with the four snakes making it to the boat and engaging with Fargus and Daedalus, and the two bowsnakes focusing their efforts on hitting Neb. Fargus and Daedalus fight against two snakemen each while Neb blasts at the bowsnakes, pausing to fire at the ones attacking his allies in hopes of freeing them up. One snakeman is obliterated, while the other is harmed but remains focused on Daedalus.

## **Come on in the water's fine**

As the fight continues the two bowsnakes eventually fall from the canopy into the water. One shifts its bow into a spear while the other dives below the water, no doubt on its way to upturn the raft. Neb focuses his blasts on the spearsnake, while Fargus decides to be an utter madlad after cutting down the last snakeman attacking him. The crazy dwarf jumps into the water to beat the shit out of the septasnake headed for them! With a powerful blow to the chest the septasnake is rendered stunned, and with another strike has the breath knocked out of its lungs. Water floods into its mouth automatically and the snake sinks into the water, drowned. Fargus unlocks the "serpent slayer" title and the battle continues on.

**Will the squad succeed in fending off the last of the snakemen? Will they make it to safety in the dark and gloomy mangrove? Will they find the CGC and warn them about the Lich? Will Fargus ever be allowed in another reptile sanctuary at this rate? Find out next time on Tomb of Annihilation!**