I explained that we needed to travel to Teikoku, I mean Tibasa, to seek the molt of a serpent named Vasylko by the Lovchyn family. We should seek out the Lovchyn for permission to travel into the valley where it lives.
Nan made a beeline for the Crab Shack and got a bouquet of horseshoe crabs and a tub of melted butter. She explained she'd seen a ship with black sails recently. Men from the jungle loaded some crates, the ship departed, and they went back into the jungle.
I met Fran Lovchyn at port. She think Vasylko may be a fairy tale meant to keep the family out of the dangerous valley where they do adult stuff. Gary was certain that meant adults have orgies in the valley. I assured him we do not need to participate. He explained that because of his alpha musk no one participates with Gary. I am unsurprised that Gary is a virgin.
Story says Vasylko resides at the base of the ravine. There is a stone temple that the serpent rested in. The molt is likely in the space it finds safest.
She gave us some warnings: Don't swim in the river. There are little fish that really like to bite—piranha.
Moonshiners might be operating in the valley.
Gary peed in the river and a titanoboa popped out and tried to bite his dick off. We put it down and crossed the river to inspect a statue. The head was missing and it was covered in moss. I had considered praying at it for luck until I saw humanoid skulls at its base. I don't know anything about religion, but this didn't seem like it would be a benevolent deity. I helped Nan look for any sign of a button, switch, or lever that may open something. No luck. She tried to take a rubbing of some faded words on the statue. Gary explained that it was in the Alpha language that said, "Our lady of... watch over..."
Eventually the trees gave way to a little path that led to a doorway in the rocks. There were stone steps leading down into the dark. Gary thought this might be where the "adult parties" happen. I started walking down into the darkness.
Glowing etched serpent on the floor of a path with no siderails. Gary got down on all floors and started smelling for magic. He assured us there was magic in the air but wasn't sure what flavor. I touched the glowing markings on the ground and a great serpent appeared. Thordak charged in and attacked it when it hadn't shown any signs of aggression.
When defeated we discovered the serpent was long dead, and we had fought a memory of it. We found it's skeleton and feathers.
