((Thom isn't there for the chat with the kuo-toa then!))

"They are quite fascinating, aren't they? You say it left a mark on you? I'm assuming you're with the group sleeping down the way? I didn't stop to introduce myself, didn't want to alarm anyone. I'd love an opportunity to interview you about your experiences with the faerzress. They've changed recently, you see, and I'm attempting to document the effects so we can better understand their impacts."

"I no longer reside in Slobludop, though I was spawned there. I don't have a set residence at the moment."

"Could you share what you encountered in the faerzress the other day?"

He seats himself on a boulder just outside the farzress, leans his cane against it, and pulls a notebook and pencil from a pocket of his robes.

Sarith looks at Galingal and shrugs. 

"We were hunting some giant fire beetles we saw in there, and one of our companions tried to light them up, but ended up knocking themselves out. I don't know about the others... but I had really strange dreams that night.... I kind of wondered if it was the beetle meat that caused that at the time."

Galingal looks around the cavern making sure that the kuo-toa isn't trying to distract them while others set up an ambush.

"One answer for one answer," Galingal answers back. "How far is it to Slobdulop and Darklake from here?"

(If they get an answer from the kuo-toa, Galingal would describe the temporary third eye but then ask if he ever sees drow soldiers and slavers out here.)

The kuo-toa ponders for a bit, flicking his fingers as he does some quick estimates.

"Slubludop is the closest settlement, and is at the edge of Darklake proper, it's only about five miles as the purple worm tunnels, but with twists and turns, you're looking at more like seven?"

Sarith gives a grin, "Good to know my estimate wasn't too far off.

The kuo-toa listens intently to your story about your extra eye, scrawling notes. "Fascinating! Like an actual third eye, not just a metaphorical one?"

"Yes a real third eye. I could see out of it," Galingal says. He pauses for a moment and looks at Sarith and then back to the kuo-toa. "We need to return to our comrades."

Insight 23  to see if the kuo-toa appears genuine in the questions he's asking and isn't really just trying to assess Galingal and Sarith for weakness.

"The others may have better answers for you if you want to join us."

Galingal doesn't like bringing the kuo-toa back to the camp, but since he already knows where it is, Galingal would rather the kuo-toa was under watch than wandering around near by and out of sight.

There weren't all that many scholars in your Lady's service, her employees skewing more towards militaristic pursuits, but there were a few, and in minor ways this fellow reminds you of some of them that you knew to some degree, though much more jovial and excitable. You get the sense he genuinely is interested in the faerzress, and seems like he might have valuable information that could be exchanged for satisfying his curiosity.

"The others in our group were affected in different ways than we were," Galingal says. "They would exchange more stories about what they experienced and you could share stories about what we can expect in the tunnels ahead and the current state of Darklake."

He then turns, nods towards where their camp is and begins making his way there.

"Ah, excellent! Let me grab my pack and I'll follow you!" 

He pads up, back into the faerzress and emerges with a pack, following you to where the others are mostly sleeping. Thom and Buppido are currently on watch. Thom ponders what he knows about kuo-toa, which is mostly just his interactions with Shuushar and what others have mentioned about the race... that they are all insane and unpredictable... which Shuushar seems to be an exception to, and the kuo-toa trailing after Galingal and Sarith seems to be well mannered enough, waving when you make eye contact, and keeping his hands resting atop his can when they halt.

"Great, another fishman. Wonder if this one is more fun.", Buppido says with a grin.

Galingal introduces Sloopidoop to Thom and Buppido.

"He has questions about the faerzress," Galingal says in Common. "But this is a trade. One question from him for one question from us."

Galingal sets down the blue caps spores and turns back to Sloopidoop.

"He's also confirmed we're a days fast march from Darklake," Galingal says then asks Sloopidoop a question. "Do you know of any trouble ahead on near the lake?"

When Thom initially sees the kuo-toa approach, he is startled but this is only for a very brief moment. Sarith and Galingal seem to not be under any duress and so he assumes this new person must not be hostile. He says nothing when they get back to the camp but just gives a friendly nod.

He grins at Buppido's comment.

After the into, he gives his pleasantries "pleasure, mate" and his eyes widen a bit when Galingal says he's learned we're only a day away from Darklake.

He listens intently to the kuo-toa's response to potential troubles ahead or near the lake.

Lia sleeps peacefully for once…

The kuo-toa gives Galingal a look. "You really are new to the Underdark, aren't you? Oh... that wasn't my question! Doesn't count! I mean... yeah, the whole Darklake region is trouble, easy for surfacers to get lost, lots of things lurking in the dark and the deep... but I'm assuming you're asking about things more specifically.  Slobdulop is the closest settlement, but I fear that my fellow kuo-toans are a bit unpredictable. I've heard rumors of civil unrest among the populace. If you go there, be alert, and try to make it a quick visit."

"Now, I'd like to hear about something faerzress related that you haven't already told me."

He holds his book and pencil ready, and looks around expectantly.

Galingal nods at the caution about Slobdulop. It sounds similar to Shuushar's warnings too.

"This one cast a spell," he nods at the sleeping Lia, "but the faerzress echoed it back on the party and put most of them to sleep. They had to be roused or they might still be sleeping."

With the others mostly still sleeping, and Thom remaining relatively quiet, Galingal thinks for a moment about what else they can get out of Slooidoop.

"When did you last see drow soldiers and slavers out this way?"

Sloopidoop continues conversing with four of you in a mixture of Elvish and Undercommon for Buppido's benefit when it's clear he doesn't speak Elvish.

"Her magic echoed back? I'd like her perspective on that when she wakes... you'd said the eye you grew was part of casting a spell too? Hmmmm. That's interesting. I wonder...."

"Ah, drow soldiers and slavers? I... tend to steer clear of most drow. No offense, Jaezred."

Sarith has a delayed recognition of the name he'd given before waving away Sloopidoop's concerns.

"You seemed quite amiable, so I didn't fear too much to approach. I know what it's like to be an outlier from the culture that hatched you. I did see a drow trader a day or two back, at least I'm assuming that's what they were, had a few pack lizards. I took the long way around them. The drow don't have much of an established presence in Darklake, outside of those residing or traveling to and from Mantol-Derith."

When Galingal mentions Lia, she does that thing that dogs do in their sleep and starts pawing at the air a little with one hand and one foot. “…off me!… s’too dark!… … no it’s too… dark!… … juster widdiffu… wedna a weniffu…. a weni… a… z z z z…”, and she’s peaceful again, but has ended up in a rather crumpled looking position that can’t be comfortable…

Galingal begins gathering his slim belongings and gets ready to break camp once the others awake.

"Where will you go after here?" Galingal asks Sloopidoop.

"So this little one is capable of great magics... well, well.", Sloopidoop looks a bit bemusedly down at Lia.

"I wish to finish some tests here, then I will want to check on other faerzress as well, and see if they are similarly affected. We'd thought it was isolated and localized, but if you ran into issues elsewhere, we certainly need to examine them further."

"I think you're ahead of me on answers, so I'd like some more accounts, please!"

Buppido chimes in in Undercommon:

Once Stena is awake she will regard Sloopidoop with suspicion and won't speak with him though she will have words with Thom and Galingal once he departs,

To Galingal,

"Aye'm not sure its wise to be bringing even more people to us that can identify where we went to the drow and-"

To Thom,

"When yer on watch and people come back with strangers ye wake people up."

She clearly woke up on the wrong side of the rock.

When Stena wakes, the kuo-toa greets her in well spoken, if accented Dwarvish.

 If she remains uncommunicative, he'll shrug and turn back to the elves.

Thom listens to Galingal and Sloopidoop exchange information and decides not to add anything. He doesn't have much interest in the magics and looses interest when they start speaking in languages he can't understand. 

He's glad to see the thing wasn't hostile. That's all he really cared about. 

watch 101, dammit Thom thinks to himself as he realizes the mistake he made in not arousing the others who were sleeping when the kuo-toa comes back to camp.

He would respond to Stena whenever that conversation happens "Uh... sorry, Ma'am. Yer right." and he kind of looks down for a moment and then gathers himself and his confidence(?) and continues. "The thing didn't seem dangerous with Galingal and Sarith. But it won't happen again, ma'am." and he nods at her in a military manner. 

Lia wakes. She notices the newcomer but everyone seems relaxed and cordial. She simply sits beside her bedroll, let’s down her hair, prestidigitates it clean, and re-ties it into a tidy braid that hangs down in front over her shoulder. She checks and cleans her gear and busies herself with getting set for the day. She maybe hums a quiet melody.