"That makes sense. Come on, let's get moving to our next target - I got a next step, not a final location, pretty much."

"Sounds good." And heading.

Extensive running around and questioning reveals that Ras Nsi and his Yuan-Ti are hidden beneath the ruins of the Royal Palace. Thousands of bats swirl above the great ruin. Behind a fifteen-foot-high circular wall, the party can see crumbling arcades, vine-choked statues, empty plazas, and buildings overgrown with banyan roots. Streets that aren’t flooded are choked with rubble.

There's a rather obvious entrance they were told about, but Decima's fairly certain there's bound to be a back way in - and she's able to follow the thick serpentine tracks that the snake-like Yuan-Ti leave to a narrow, rough-hewn passage hidden behind thick layers of palm fronds.

"We shouldn't assume this is unguarded, though..." she mutters.

"I'd be surprised if it was. People generally know about their own back doors."

There are, indeed, three guards, more like snakes than people. They rush the group.

This isn't the first time she's seen snake people-- but these definitely aren't Sslyth.

She fires at them. Presumably splinter rounds still hurt them.

That seems to work!

The three guards are no match for the team - and the one that ran away to alert the nest is no match for being chased down by Decima.

"Well, I wouldn't want to jinx us and say 'that was easy'--"

"We're a good team. Large, but not so large it damages stealth, powerful..." She laughs and flips a knife. "Come, let's see what we can find within."

"Yeah, I'd agree." And in they go.

The passages are narrow and labyrinthine, and they're frequently having to deal with traps, sneak past guards...

Between Rune and Decima they have fairly good navigation, though, and soon come up to Ras Nsi. He's another snake-person, scowling at them.

"Well, look what crept in," he snarls, yellow eyes narrow.

"So, I'm assuming there's a plan behind the underground lair? Scared someone might take your cubes, say?"

"You're an idiot if you think we've only been here that long."

Ooh, ambush predator tactics, sneaky. And probably, like, smart too. Not that she's going to tell him that.

"I'd probably be a fool if I took you right at your word, too."

He snorts. It's an odd hissing sort of sound. "I assume you want my cube? What for - riches, fame, fortune?"

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I mostly just want to punch Lichy McLichface in his... face."

"I'm sworn to hunt undead. He specifically has angered my patron."

"I'd like to see the Death Curse ended," says Rune.

" - You believe Acererak to be involved in that?" asks Ras Nsi, startled.

"I thought that was pretty... well known? Is it not?"

" - It's not actually common knowledge," Rune says to Zerri, and then to Ras Nsi: "I know it. He bragged about it through an avatar, to my mother."

Ras Nsi frowns.

"Oh, he sounds real charming. ...I mean, nothing about him sounds charming-- but bragging, and not even in person?" She shakes her head.

"The Death Curse is a plague upon my people, same as any," Ras Nsi says, slowly. "Acererak had promised to protect us from it."

"I mean, that's probably achievable if he made it happen. 'I promise I'll protect you from this gun that I am holding' and all that."

"He hasn't been," Ras Nsi says, voice angry and bitter.

"That's the problem with liches: they don't tend to be the most truthful folks." Okay, she doesn't have any evidence for that, but it's not a bad assumption.