A dwarf is overheard in the Star and Blade tavern, speaking to another dwarf, a half-elf, and a gnome.
"Let's go over the details shall we?" He says before draining his tankard and waving at a server for another. "Thus far we have run into the Yuan-Ti four times was it? First, in the ruins by the little town of Gullykin. There they were complaining about snakes. Inside their ruins there were a couple of pure-bloods, the human looking ones, and one abomination, those are the ones who have the upper torso of a man and the lower half of a snake. Plenty of eggs, which we destroyed."
"Then, Orin and I found another infestation by the Eastern Farmlands. They had a larger portion of abominations, and an incredibly large snake. Also killed, eggs also smashed."
"Thirdly, and most concerning in my opinion, the ones in the sewers beneath Baldur's Gate. This was when we first encountered the Tren, the troglodyte-lizardmen hybrid, bred by the snake men to protect their nests. So far, these have been the deadliest of those we have fought, requiring ranged weapons and careful planning. They were ringing a gong from deep in the sewers, for what purpose we are still uncertain. We smashed eggs there too."
"In-between, we did some investigating. Talking to the expert at the Citadel of Strategic Importance, she confirmed what we already knew, they are not native to this part of the world. The only reason they would be here is one of two options. Either this is a scouting party for a larger invasion, testing out our defences, or it's possible that this is a fringe group, kicked out of their homeland, and seeking new territory. I can only hope that this is the latter."
"Finally, out by the Belts Estate, this last journey pitted us against snakes, more purebloods, and a final larger abomination. Now from what I've been told, these groups are usually led by an abomination. With any luck that abomination was their leader, and this is the final time we shall see them. We could find nothing on their bodies, no orders, no indication of leadership or rank. We attempted to knock one out and interrogate them, but she was wily, and kept fighting us despite it all."
He takes a long drink for his newly filled tankard. "At least for the moment they are just killing livestock, I haven't heard of any people being attacked or killed, and hopefully it stays that way. Is there anything I missed? If not, keep your ears peeled for any other rumours of snake men. Until then."
Concerning Yuan-Ti
Moderator: NWN2 - 10 DM
Concerning Yuan-Ti
"My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea."
-Tommy Douglas, probably about gnomes
-Tommy Douglas, probably about gnomes
Re: Concerning Yuan-Ti
Aliana Zorkaser, gnomish cleric of Garl Glittergold, hops up onto a barstool at one of the inns in Beregost, the soles of her boots still muddy from the road. She pulls a dented tin gear from a pouch and absently spins it between her fingers as she grins at her companions.
“So there we were, right? Just sittin’ around Baldur’s Gate, when we heard about these wagons going missing between the Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost. Not just missing—but slaughtered horses, burned wagons, and no people in sight. You know, the usual signs of a good ol’ fashioned abduction.”
She pauses to sip her drink, then leans in conspiratorially.
“So we all take these delivery jobs—mail to the Friendly Arm, which is fancy speak for getting paid to walk the way we were going anyway. I handed over my bag with the utmost flourish, mind you—Bentley Mirrorshade was very impressed, probably.”
“Anyway, we hit the road and it gets weird fast. No travelers, eerie quiet. Then—snakes. Big ones. Real big."
She holds one hand up high and flicks her fingertips upward.
"And snake men. Lucian zapped ‘em, Orin did his shield wall thing, Elrin poked a few in the brain. I got bit, but, y’know—ow, and then walk it off.”
She casually pats her bandaged arm.
“Then we find a burned wagon and a trail leading to a cave. Inside? Hostages. One poor fellow’s shaking like a leaf and tells us a dozen others were carted off by these lizardy freaks in the night. We free the few that are left, patch up Lucian—he got real acquainted with a Tren’s sword, poor guy—and decide to investigate further.”
The gear slips from her fingers and clatters to the bar. She scoops it up and continues like nothing happened.
“In the cave, we find blood, maps, armor, potions, treasure galore! Lucian took a scroll—blades of fire or somesuch—and a few magical bits. Orin found new armor. Elrin has a fancy new cloak. I got some potions and possibly tetanus, but I’m fine now.”
“Outside, we found drag marks to the river. And then—hold on to your hats—Wyverns. Flappin’ overhead like death with wings. We decided not to die that day and circled back to town.”
She takes a swig of her ale, and wipes the froth from her lips with the back of her bandaged arm.
"We’ll follow the map next time. Maybe it leads to the missing folks. Maybe it leads to more snakes. Either way, I’m bringin’ my crossbow, my wits, and some friends.”
She grins and adds with a wink:
“Also, don’t tell anyone, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of this whole adventuring thing.”
And with that, she goes back to flicking her shiny gear, already half-distracted by its gleam.
“So there we were, right? Just sittin’ around Baldur’s Gate, when we heard about these wagons going missing between the Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost. Not just missing—but slaughtered horses, burned wagons, and no people in sight. You know, the usual signs of a good ol’ fashioned abduction.”
She pauses to sip her drink, then leans in conspiratorially.
“So we all take these delivery jobs—mail to the Friendly Arm, which is fancy speak for getting paid to walk the way we were going anyway. I handed over my bag with the utmost flourish, mind you—Bentley Mirrorshade was very impressed, probably.”
“Anyway, we hit the road and it gets weird fast. No travelers, eerie quiet. Then—snakes. Big ones. Real big."
She holds one hand up high and flicks her fingertips upward.
"And snake men. Lucian zapped ‘em, Orin did his shield wall thing, Elrin poked a few in the brain. I got bit, but, y’know—ow, and then walk it off.”
She casually pats her bandaged arm.
“Then we find a burned wagon and a trail leading to a cave. Inside? Hostages. One poor fellow’s shaking like a leaf and tells us a dozen others were carted off by these lizardy freaks in the night. We free the few that are left, patch up Lucian—he got real acquainted with a Tren’s sword, poor guy—and decide to investigate further.”
The gear slips from her fingers and clatters to the bar. She scoops it up and continues like nothing happened.
“In the cave, we find blood, maps, armor, potions, treasure galore! Lucian took a scroll—blades of fire or somesuch—and a few magical bits. Orin found new armor. Elrin has a fancy new cloak. I got some potions and possibly tetanus, but I’m fine now.”
“Outside, we found drag marks to the river. And then—hold on to your hats—Wyverns. Flappin’ overhead like death with wings. We decided not to die that day and circled back to town.”
She takes a swig of her ale, and wipes the froth from her lips with the back of her bandaged arm.
"We’ll follow the map next time. Maybe it leads to the missing folks. Maybe it leads to more snakes. Either way, I’m bringin’ my crossbow, my wits, and some friends.”
She grins and adds with a wink:
“Also, don’t tell anyone, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of this whole adventuring thing.”
And with that, she goes back to flicking her shiny gear, already half-distracted by its gleam.
Field Report: Translations from the Stone Tablets found in Yuan Ti dens
Field report, filed by Aliana Zorkaser
Friends,
I wish this were a cheerier update, but our wizard Lucian hasn’t returned. After he translated the first two tablets, he took off about a tenday ago and—well, nothing. No word, no trace, no sign of him or his familiar.
Since waiting has done us no good, I decided to finish the translations myself. I cast Comprehend Languages earlier today and managed to read the third tablet. The magic handled the words well enough—though it left a hiss in my ears that still hasn’t quite faded.
For convenience, I’m including Lucian’s earlier translations of Tablets I and II below, followed by my own transcription of Tablet III.
What follows is… disturbing. The yuan-ti aren’t just active—they’re organizing.
Notes and Uneasy Conclusions
I don’t like what I’m seeing here. The tone changes across the three tablets — from orders, to reports, to a kind of progress update. Whoever wrote them wasn’t just dreaming of conquest; they are building toward something.
I wish I'd listened more closely to the discussion about the two tablets after he translated them. I wish I’d listened more closely. If this “tower” lies anywhere near his route, he might have stumbled right into their nest. There’s a pattern forming here — captives sent north, a temple under construction, sacrifices promised to Sseth, and mention of a path to the Underdark. All threads in one long coil.
“The new warren along the winding water” — the third tablet makes it sound finished, or nearly so. The yuan-ti must have an established base nearby.
“Spreading the coin around” — bribery or infiltration. They’ve paid off someone local. If gates are mentioned, it could mean they’ve compromised a settlement.
“Blackbroth” — never heard of it, but I don’t like the sound. Some kind of alchemical venom or ritual stew? Is this what they use to create the Megalomen?
If any of you arcane types know rituals to unsee things, please send them along.
May Garl’s laughter light the dark,
—Aliana Zorkaser
Devout of Garl Glittergold, finder of snakes where snakes ought not be
Friends,
I wish this were a cheerier update, but our wizard Lucian hasn’t returned. After he translated the first two tablets, he took off about a tenday ago and—well, nothing. No word, no trace, no sign of him or his familiar.
Since waiting has done us no good, I decided to finish the translations myself. I cast Comprehend Languages earlier today and managed to read the third tablet. The magic handled the words well enough—though it left a hiss in my ears that still hasn’t quite faded.
For convenience, I’m including Lucian’s earlier translations of Tablets I and II below, followed by my own transcription of Tablet III.
What follows is… disturbing. The yuan-ti aren’t just active—they’re organizing.
Tablet I
Continue to send north, humans suitable for transformation. We will need brood guardians soon enough. Keep the weakest ones to feed upon. Sseth will require many sacrifices once the temple is finished so other races will have their uses as well. Our spies will bring us the information to bring down the walled enclosures.
Tablet II
Transformations of several megalomen have been successful. There has been an incursion by human scum which has been dealt with for now. We need to secure more dragonflies to complete the recipe for the Blackbroth. Scouts believe there to be a path to the Underdark nearby—this could speed our incursion. I will send some of the megalomen and a batch of captives soon. It is only a matter of time before we can breach the defenses of the walled tower nearby.
Tablet III
Still searching for a good place to hatch our broods, plenty of nearby food sources, humans and others. I pray the cattle and sheep have reached you intact. The humans are a scrawny lot; some of the men should be usable for transformation. Sseth shall be appeased. The new warren along the winding water shall prosper. The scouts are spreading the coin around to the key elements that will open the gates when the time comes.
Notes and Uneasy Conclusions
I don’t like what I’m seeing here. The tone changes across the three tablets — from orders, to reports, to a kind of progress update. Whoever wrote them wasn’t just dreaming of conquest; they are building toward something.
I wish I'd listened more closely to the discussion about the two tablets after he translated them. I wish I’d listened more closely. If this “tower” lies anywhere near his route, he might have stumbled right into their nest. There’s a pattern forming here — captives sent north, a temple under construction, sacrifices promised to Sseth, and mention of a path to the Underdark. All threads in one long coil.
“The new warren along the winding water” — the third tablet makes it sound finished, or nearly so. The yuan-ti must have an established base nearby.
“Spreading the coin around” — bribery or infiltration. They’ve paid off someone local. If gates are mentioned, it could mean they’ve compromised a settlement.
“Blackbroth” — never heard of it, but I don’t like the sound. Some kind of alchemical venom or ritual stew? Is this what they use to create the Megalomen?
If any of you arcane types know rituals to unsee things, please send them along.
May Garl’s laughter light the dark,
—Aliana Zorkaser
Devout of Garl Glittergold, finder of snakes where snakes ought not be