Telemachus looked at the spread of people above in position to Wick below.  Waving his hand he motioned for Wick to move to one side of the well while he spoke up to those above, "Shift from that spot over there...leave a good sized gap.  It doesn't look like it's a full cave below but a shallow den.  Once we attack it should release Karel and will flee...unless it get cornered and then it'll be just as deadly as it was to Karel."

Pointing to one side he motioned Storm to protect the others, "Defend from that position Storm...if the snake comes at you engage but if it climbs and flees quickly let it go...trying to save Karel is more important this moment than ending the snakes life."

Hoping that the other listen to his suggestions he waits for Wick to move out of the way before he spins his sling up to full speed and releases the bullet right at the thick, and relatively unmoving tail of the huge snake...

Wick shifts to the side at Telemachus' request.  He ducks down a bit...

, "Karel, you still alive?"

He waits a minute, then looks up at the others.  He considers if calling out is really a wise approach.  Really though, climbing down into the well wasn't particularly wise, so why start worrying about it now.

"There's a big snake down here, Karel's in his mouth, head first.  Not much room down here."

There seemed to be a great hush about the well as Telemachus suggested a strategy for dealing with the snake.


As Wick moved to the side, Telemachus released the sling bullet toward the snake, which flew unerringly into the body of the snake.  Several heartbeats later, motion in the snake's body could be seen, and a strange, whispery sound as the snake began to vacate its den.

"I'm coming up."  He pulls himself up the rope as quickly as possible.  If they were dead set on getting the snake riled up, he didn't want to be that close.  It didn't look like there was a lot of space for the snake to turn around and attack, but he didn't want to risk it.

Wick made his way back up out of the well with alacrity, as the snake began its ascent.  Coming over the top of the well, the snake--all twenty feet of it--rapidly disappeared into the overgrown vegetation.

Those looking down into the well could see the motionless body of Karel just visible at the edge of the snake's den.

Storm moves to protect the flank and suggests to his friends,”we need to try to get Karel up. Perhaps use a bait to lure it up the well.’wonder if there is a chicken or something in the house.”

Watching the snake slither off into the vegetation, harmlessly this time, Dak was surprised to hear Storm speak of a second snake still in the well with Karel's body.  It was a good thing Wick had shouted and gotten out of there in time.

Storm tries to sense the snake in the vegetation. If he can find it, he will close in to engage the snake with his magic mace.' As a divine warrior, it is not in his character to flinch from danger and he will actively engage enemies to protect his friends.

As the snake ascends up the well, Jade turns sharply and begins to hiss, his hair standing. The moment the snake's head exits the well, Jade races off to a safe distance.

Westin, alerted by his cat, turns and stares at the well as first Wick and then a enormous snake ascends from the well. He takes a few steps back when he sees the giant snake. His dagger appears pitifully small compared to the snake.

Panatix backs away as the snake emerges, after all, his small form is exactly the size snack such a snake would enjoy.

Once it is gone though, he moves forward,,

"Get the rope on me, lower me down, I can see in the dark and see if he is alive....and what else is down there....hurry..".

"Let me go first.  If there is a chance of saving him the faster I get down there to cure him with the little magics I know the better off he'll be." remarked Telemachus as he put away the sling and moved the the rope himself.

"Come on down right after me so you can look into its den for any clues." he glanced at Storm and the others, "And keep an eye out for that snake if it decides to come back before we're out of there..."

After some discussion, Telemachus made his way down the well into the area where the snake had been and Karel's still form could be seen.

Storm, meanwhile, had attempted to give chase to the snake, although despite its large size it was moving quite rapidly and soon out of sight.  Despite its poisonous nature, according to Jade, it did not seem to be evil.

With the aid of the rope and assistance from others, Panatix made his way down the well after Telemachus.

Despite losing the snake, Storm was not disheartened. He continues to remain vigilant with his hands on his mace and shield. Calling to the rest he asks,”you guys are good? Need help with the injured?”

"Stay alert and let me know if you sense that snake coming back!" Westin urgently communicates to his familiar. Dagger still in hand, he keeps standing guard while the search and rescue efforts continues.

Jade hears Westin and turns to look at him, giving him a plaintive, "Raow" Like I'm going to close my eyes and take a nap with a 20' snake crawling around on the loose? Unhurriedly, he walks to where he can find a good vantage point to look for any returning snake or anything else that might be a threat to him and perhaps to the others as well.

Panatix takes a few moments to scan the small den, finding nothing, he looks to Telemachus.

"I'm glad you came, I'm not all that brave.." glancing at the body, "....is it too late?".

Lenelle waited and watched, mace at the ready, in case the serpent made an unwelcome return.  And added to Telemachus, the others-

"Let me know if he needs more healing. I'll come down."    Then to Westin-

"There's an Atuan parable about a cat outwitting a devil-serpent. By being alert and hard to fool.    But this one won't vanish back to hell by tricking it, I'm sure."       Her grip on her mace tightened.

Telemachus shook his head to Panatix's question and quietly replied, "All the warmth has left his body.  If I had to guess the poison was one that stopped his heart not long after we first entered the house...so he passed on maybe five minutes or more ago."

Hew kneeled down by Karel's body and placed on hand over his heart and the other hand reached for the dirt of the wall of the den and his fingers dug into it slightly, "But I will not leave him without trying in case I'm wrong about the poison.  Problem is if it revives him the poison in his blood may just kill him again...and I am not strong enough to remove that problem."

Then he murmured, [Language unknown: "Has eaunteson pela'wist, ilnaceosplarac ecel leswasres oredincon."] and Panatix could see glowing lines of green start at his hand dug into the dirt and flow like a pulse across his body and down into the hand pressed against Karel's chest before flowing into the body and disappearing...

Despite Telemachus' best effort, there was no change in Karel, who remained cool to the touch.  Bringing his hand to Karel's chest also told of a lack of heartbeat.

Shaking his head to Panatix he uttered to him and Lenelle, ”He’s gone, nothing we can do for him unless you are truly blessed by Atu to bring those back from the dead.”

She felt a moment of deep sorrow. That she scarcely knew Karel notwithstanding. She whispered a prayer for a soul's safe and gentle travel to the Highest-kingdom.

"No.. I'm not so blessed, nor trained.  Worth talking to Father Niall, though."   

Telemachus nodded his head lightly, "Karel seemed to be a good man but we do not have the resources to cover the expense of even returning one of us from the beyond unless we sold our ship and throw away what a Goddess gave us in granting our freedom."

Looking to Panatix he quietly added, "Help me pull him to the rope and affix him securely so they can pull him up and then we can follow."

Westin looks on, listening as the others discuss Karel's passing and plans for pulling his body out of the well. It almost seemed unreal to him that someone should have died just hours into their errand. It was an ill omen.

"This place is more dangerous than I would have guessed. Karel was alone when he was attacked and now he's dead," he says with a shudder. "It might be a good idea to stay together."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:16, Sun 08 Dec 2019.

While cool and definitely dead, Karel had not been dead long enough for rigor to have set in, so it was not overly difficult for Telemachus and Panatix to get the body affixed with rope to allow him to be pulled up.