08/09/5-10

In the morning, the group started talking about, how to proceed, some suggesting trying to get the serpent mother alone, while Milivoj wanted to just attack her. He agreed to hear out a plan, but made it clear that even without one, he would be going to rescue Ysomir. Valeyo suggested walk around camp and look for new arrivals, any returning hunters and find Dr Stanov. As Valeyo went to leave, he felt a hand push against his chest and the voice of Dr Stanov call out "Do you still need assistance?". Valeyo told him that they were just coming to find him and welcomed him inside. Once there the doctor dropped his invisibility spell and asked who they wanted to wake. Valeyo told him that it was Blazh they were looking to awaken, while also adding that they figured out who the serpent was. He said that was good, but they told him to wait for the rest of it, but first, they had to fix they companions first. Dr Stanov prepared and cast a spell, curing Blazh and seemingly teleporting a shirt distance. Cassini saw through what had happened - Dr Stanov had just cast Time Stop. He shared this, which the doctir denied and Valeyo noted that he seemed more anxious than usual. The group talked about a bit about this feat of magic, but seeing the doctor's discomfort, changed the topic.

Valeyo told the doctor about Meagak being the Snake Mother and asked if she was a real person or a manufactured identity. He seemed unnerved by the idea and said that as far as he knew, she and Stonemaster Boris had been married for a year, though this is the first time the doctor had met with her in person. He tried casting Scrying, which failed indicating that if she existed she is either dead, or on a different plane. Regardless, the Meagak they see in camp was not the real one. Shiek used the soul token of the snake man, they had slain, and asked it for the names of the people on his mission. The list he received was:

1. Mentiras Sempre
2. Me
3. Sister
4. Sister
5. Brother

Doctor Stanov recognized the name Mentiras Sempre, as an Archfey, also called the Serpent Queen. Not wanting to implicate him further, Valeyo suggested that the doctro took his leave while the group came up with a plan.

The final plan was for Valeyo to modify Dobrovnik's memory to make him think that he is there to seduce Meagak and distract her while the group go to meet someone who could get rid of the dagger, by giving it to the Seelie or the Queen of A&D. With that they sent him on his way, Cassini started casting awaken and Valeyo went to walk around camp. He first headed to the Order of the Brown Dragon, who had set-up camp in a plot of about the same rank as theirs. A few people were walking around, and he saw one familiar face Megan, speaking with someone else. Valeyo approached and she sent the man away, who was there to sign up. She gestured him to sit down and he did, before telling her about what he had heard in Moratopp, regarding the Order kidnapping children. Upon hearing that, she called out for Gareth and a dwarven man came out of a nearby tent, signing when she told him about the fliers. He asked which fliers this was about, saying that there were many more than  he would like. He explained that a bunch fliers over cities in Velinde and now starting here were being spread by someone, trying to discredit them. Fliers included: blowing up cities, churches, salting crops, moving mountains, digging up roads. Unfortunately, Gareth wasn't high-ranking enough to be privy to the details of the investigation into this, but clearly someone was after them, unsurprisingly. Valeyo wished them the best and took his leave.

Dobrovnik was walking around the camp, when he spotted Boris and Meagak moving towards the centre of town. He followed, trying to get Meagak alone. A little later, she crouched down and whispered something in his ear, before he walked off. Standing there, she spoke into his mind saying "It is rude to stalk ladies.". He responded asking if he could buy her a drink, to which she raised an eyebrow before heading to the tavern. Dobrovnik followed her where she sat down and told him to surprise her with a drink. He returned to the table and stared "flirting" with her, asking why she was with such a small man, how did they end up together. She looked at him inquisitively, sharing a vague story of how they met, and what they relationship was before and after marriage. From the fluctuating level of detail, he was able to deduce when she took over the persona of Meagak. Over the course of the conversation, he started suspecting that she was either unable or unwilling to read his mind and started trying to wrangle her into thinking there was more to his story. One a few hour passed, he decided to leave dropping some hints that there was something he was after. As he left, she did something to him and his world became more colourful, and weird until it turned upside down when he was near the tent and he fell down in the dirt rolling in it. People watch one, muticoloured silhouettes in his sight and a weird woman approached him, her head a giant snake, but not alarming him. She bent down and asked him if he was okay. He said that he was fine and she asked what was going one and he felt compelled to tell us anything she wanted. He told her about the plan and his day and she gave him something to drink which would make him feel better. It made him feel drowsy and the woman left, leaving him in the mud. He slowly climbed up and returned to near the tent, where everything was more colourful than before, including the feathered creature Cassini was next to. He shared what he saw and the group took it as a good sign, that the plan worked. Shiek went to pick up some anti toxin, while the rest waited for Cassini's spell to finish.

After some more hours, he finished the incantation and all eyes were on the allosaurus. Suddenly it spoke in perfect Ikovalian asking "Where am I.". The group explained and got it some food, soon convincing it to allow Milivoj to ride it.

The group approached the lake to the south of the city, where they found Maegak waiting for them. She held the gemstone with Ysomir over the lake and told them to give her the dagger or she would throw him in the lake, which started combat. Soon after the start, her eyes glowed a golden light nearly blinding everyone else, but Stunning Sapphira. She then shouted "Time to feast children." and two snakes made of ash and fire appeared from the ground. Another appeared from the lake, horned like the first one. In the combat it seemed as if Maegak can almost predict their actions, having a degree of foresight.