The imagery of the fog-like serpent
The author writes, “The white serpent coiled past the pillars, brushed the low ceiling, moistly caressed the backs of their devotees and source, and then, in turn, coalesced to pour out the curving black hole of a narrow spiral stairway, the stone steps of which were worn almost to chutelike smoothness–a sinuously billowing white cylinder on which a redness lurked." The imagery is significant because it represents the power of the fog that is emitted from the underground temple to kill people and take away their souls. The beggar girl in the streets becomes the first victim of the serpent fog because it suffocates her and ends her life immediately.
The imagery of the underground Temple of Hates
The author writes, "Muffled drums beat out a nerve-scratching rhythm, and red lights flickered hypnotically in the underground Temple of Hates, where five thousand ragged worshippers knelt and abased themselves and ecstatically pressed foreheads against the cold and gritty cobbles as the trance took hold and the human venom rose in them." The image of what is happening inside the Temple of Hate concerns readers. The Worshippers are responding to a bizarre sermon by the masked priests. The venom mentioned in the imagery is a symbol of destruction. The Temple of Hate is responsible for the emission of the killer fog that creates havoc in the city. Therefore, this opening statement prepares readers to expect the worst from the Temple of Hate.
The smell of the dead fish
Mouser has the power of smell, and when he sniffs the moist air above him, he suspects something is not right. The author writes, “I already smell dead fish, burnt fat, horse dung, tickly lint, Lankhmar sausage gone stale, cheap temple incense burnt by the ten-pound cake, rancid oil, moldy grain, slaves’ barracks, embalmers’ tanks crowded to the black brim, and the stink of a cathedral full of unwashed carters and trulls celebrating orgiastic rites – and now you tell me of a taint!” This imagery is significant because Mouser's suspicions are not far from what Fafhrd sensed earlier about the ill motive of the Temple of Hate. Unlike Fafhrd, Mouser smells various things, but the last one which he perceives the orgies performing a rite is the appropriate one to fit the danger in context. Thousands of orgies inside the Temple of Hate are performing a rite to release a serpent-like fog to kill the city dwellers.
