Sly is impressed by Bilyurs deductive reasoning skills! She notes the suspicion and follows the others.

[If we need a tie-breaker, Sly would also prefer start with the uncluttered room.]

Xarkris will search the North in-Cluttered room

Xarkris goes into the empty room and doesn't spot anything immediately, but then hears a quiet hiss, and softened cry. Looking up, he sees an enormous rainbow snake, coiled amongst the rafters. The more studious and animal-loving amongst you recognise it as a Giant Coral Snake. They live on both land and in water, making coastal environments perfect for them, along with having an extremely potent and hallucinogenic venom. Xarkris also spots a female halfling in chef's uniform constricted by it, who must be Eliza, and clutched in her hand is a little gold key, but before you can do anything the giant snake launches down to strike and attack.

Initiative has begun, the snake goes first! (Not a surprise round though)

Giant Coral Snake: Bites Xarkris: 18 to hit, 10 piercing damage on a hit and Xarkris needs to make a DC 12 Constitution Save or be stunned until the end of his next turn. On a failed save, he also begins to hallucinate and is afflicted with a Short Term Madness affect that lasts 10 minutes (d100 roll to determine what affect: 47)

The party is now up!

[Since it's a 25 on the d100 roll, that means if Xarkris fails the Con Save he'll be  incapacitated for the next ten minutes, spending the duration either screaming, laughing, or weeping.]

[Also here's a battlemap! It shows that the snake is Large which could be helpful!]

Xarkris saves with a NAT 20 on his CONSTITUTION SAVE. He takes the 6 points of piercing damage. 
I roll another NAT 20 for Initiative (ADVANTAGE)

[The party can act whenever they like, I'm not too bothered at all about initiative rolls considering we're using side initiative and everyone can take their turns in whatever order. From now on, I'm pretty much just going to run initiative as 'which ever side is most prepared for combat goes first'. (So in this instance, it was the snake that went first since it spotted you before you spotted it, and the same would apply for things like duels; whoever suggests it starts and stuff like that!)

Also, I'm going to start implementing a more minor version of the Lingering Injury system into the campaign as just like a light homebrew rule. Basically all that means is that when your character takes a Critical Hit, they'll get a scar or something similar, since I think it adds a lot of character development and detail to them especially as the Dungeons continue (by the end of the quest, they may have dozens of scars, each with a battle tied to it!) There's no mechanical change, it's purely a roleplay thing but I think it'll add a lot. I sort of tried to implement it all the way back in Dungeon 3 when Bilyur got the scar across the bridge of his nose in the duel with the cultist, but quickly forgot lol, so this is the actual hard announcement and implementation of it! Maybe in future I'll introduce the actual Lingering Injury system from the DMG into the game, but that'll be when you're much higher level and can cope and recover from them. For now, no mechanical differences are made! 

Oh, one last thing: The bottle of venom Eggo Lass has contains 2 doses left (Morgot drank one lol) and deals no poison damage, but applies the same as the Coral Snake's venom (since it is), i. e. the consumer must succeed a DC 12 Constitution Save or be stunned until the end of their next turn and on a failed save, they also begin to hallucinate and are afflicted with a random Short Term Madness affect that lasts 10 minutes. 

Okay, that's all the stuff I wanted to say!]

Xarkris swings at the Big Snake with his Battle Axe. 
I rolled a 17 to hit with 13 points of damage.

((Was the snake attack a CRITICAL HIT?))

"GREAT GATSBIES!" Salamander nearly jumps out of his skin when Xarkris gets bit. "A GIANT CORAL SNAKE!"

Of course, as a mongoose, only Bilyur would understand this (since he cast Speak With Animals probably about less than 10 minutes ago). Uttering a series of squeaks and chitters, he tries to convey what he knows while on hind legs using charades gestures. "They've got hallucinogenic venom!"

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" he asks. He wonders if he can hear anything that the snake has to say with his Speech of the Woods. 

Either way, wanting to give the snake a taste of its own medicine, he goes for the bite.

((Action: Attack @Coral Snake for 13 for 6 piercing damage on a hit))

((Ohhh lingering injury system sounds cool!))

Xarkris cleaves through the snake as Salamander bites it as a mongoose, dealing quite a significant blow, and it hisses in pain and revulsion. Salamander and Bilyur decipher the hiss as 'Adventurersssss...disssturbing my peaccce and quiet!'

Bilyur, Sly and Eggo Lass are up!

[The snake attack wasn't a crit, I just wanted to highlight that in case a crit does come up this combat, or any future combats!]

Status
Giant Coral Snake: -19

Quote from Cheez_Weezle >>

((Was the snake attack a CRITICAL HIT?))

[[ by the way, simple way to tell is if the number is green. DDB highlights top-rolls in green. ]]

Eldritch Blast @ Snake
To-Hit: 17+6 = 23
Damage: 1+4 = 5 force

If the snake is close enough to the ground or if you don't mind if this spell also works along thick enough walls, Sly will summon another grasping hand. [Strength Save DC 14, or take 3 bludgeoning damage and be restrained.]

If the snake not accessible via this spell, Sly will instead throw a couple of ink darts. [6 force damage]

[Is the halfling (Eliza) still alive?]

Bilyur attacks the snake, standing next to Xarkris on the opposite side as Salamander. He fumbles with his quarterstaff (Nat 1) and then follows up with a flurry of punches and kicks, dodging the snake's attempts to deflect. (Flurry of Blowss 1: 22 to hit, 5 damage, Addle (Snake can't take reactions) Flurry of Blows 2: 16 to hit, 3 damage, Topple: The snake must succeed a DC 14 DEX save or be knocked prone.) "Back up Xarkris, let us take the damage!"

[Do we have advantage from flanking?]

Reaction: Reduce any attack against him by 7.

Eggo Lass blasts the snake and it once again hisses in pain and revulsion. The halfling, Eliza, is still alive, just, but caught in the coils of the beast and is grappled, but luckily due to the snake's immense size, you can easily strike it without putting her in harms way. Even though the snake has coiled down onto the ground and is making use of most the floorspace, Sly summons a sandy, shingle fist which reaches out and grabs the girth of the snake's body. It wriggles and turns to try release itself [DC 14 Strength Save to avoid becoming restrained: 11 ]. Bilyur then hits it with a variety of attacks, leaving it confused as he then tries to kick it's head straight down into the floorboards to flatten it [DC 14 Dexterity save to avoid becoming prone: 14 ]

It is now the snake's turn!

[I'm gonna say no on flanking right now because of its size and the limited space, but you'll probably get advantage on it if it ends up restrained. I'll read up on flanking rules for larger enemies though for future combats and for later in this one!]

Status
Giant Coral Snake: -32

The snake only just slithers out of the earthen grasp and weaves out of the way of Bilyur's planting kick. It then twists about and strikes at Salamander, quickly recognising it as a predator. 

Everyone is back up again!

Giant Coral Snake (-32): Bites Salamander: 12 to hit, 8 piercing damage on a hit and Salamander needs to make a DC 12 Constitution Save or be stunned until the end of his next turn. On a failed save, he also begins to hallucinate and is afflicted with a Short Term Madness affect that lasts 10 minutes (d100 roll to determine what affect: 21)

[[ If you decide to use the optional flanking rules they work the same way as medium. As long as you can draw a line between the flankers that goes through opposite sides/corners, it's flanked. And the example image uses a large creature. ]]

Eggo Lass smiles as Sly's magical fist bursts out. Seeking to lower the snake's ability to fight the tiefling's magic she lets out a psychic sliver.

Mind Sliver @ Snake
Damage: 6 psychic
INT Save DC 14 and -1d4 to next saving throw

[Ah right awesome. You might struggle with that due to how tightly packed the room is but I'll say it's flanked for now!]

The snake is hit with a splinter of psychic energy shot at it by Eggo Lass, and tries to resist the psychic confoundment with its weak little snake brain. [DC 14 Int Save or take 6 psychic damage and have -1d4  to its next saving throw: 2 ]

Everyone but Eggo Lass is still up!

Status
Giant Coral Snake: -32

The snake fails miserably to resist the blast of psionic energy, succumbing to the mental wounds and becoming even more unadept in the process.

Status
Giant Coral Snake: -38, -1d4 to the next save it makes

Bilyur switches tactics. He starts with his flurry of blows, though his first real attack is a dud (8 to hit) and then his second attack is only slightly better (14 to hit, 3 damage on the off chance it hits, Addle (no reactions). He then points at the snake and summons to mind the order of the silver bell, channeling their friendship into a psychic blast. DC 14 WIS save or 10 necrotic damage.

If it attacks him, he will reduce the attack by 11 damage.

Bilyu just hits with his second stike to the snake's jaw, leaving it just as confused and dazed as it was earlier, before Bilyur then blasts it with a wave via the power of friendship, the sound of a silver bell ringing in the snake's mind! [DC 14 Wisdom save or take 10 damage: 16 - 1 ]

Status
Giant Coral Snake: -41