Quote from Grwobert >>

((I think so, roughly. The ripples are our fishfolk scout, I think. Not sure how far apart we are though.

Or if the DM is playing a switcheroo and we are on different sandbars miles apart and are about to confront some other party of misfits! eek))

((That'd have been a heck of a way to introduce three new PCs, but first thought is correct.))

Galingal, you hear a familiar voice calling your name, followed shortly by Stena hearing another voice bellowing hers.

Galingal looks up from the ripples in the water to the sound of the voice. Lia? Then he hears the voice calling Stena's name. Thom?

"Did they escape?" Galingal says looking at Stena. "Or being used to trap us? Watch careful."

Galingal then uses the paddle to navigate the boat closer to where the voices were coming from. 

For the moment he doesn't call back, keeping an eye out for more ripples in the water and any potential ambush they're being lured into.

Galingal paddles back, Buppido muttering under his breath in Undercommon, and sees seven canoes making their way through the sandbars, crewed and piloted by a dozen or so kuo-toa, and sees Thom, Lia, Derendil, Sarith, Jimjar, Lex and Stool sitting across two of the boats. Derendil waves.

"See, I told you it'd be them, pay up!", Jimjar tells Lex, who rolls her eyes at him.

Stena stiffens when she hears something shout for Galingal from the darkness, sparing a suspicious glance to the elf before prepping her bow and swivelling to aim her bow.

When she hears the unmistakable voice of Thom and his confused sense hierarchy she relaxes and whispers to Galingal,

"Real or trap? Better on shore for better stability and to keep the koa-tua from popping out of the water around..."

Shes scowls when Galingal instead paddles towards the yells.

Any happiness on seeing her companions alive is washed away at the sight of their KT companions.

She aims her bow at the nearest KT and calls,

"Thom, or whomever, explain this situation before you get any closer."

Thom shouts out "HEY! It IS them!" He lowers his bow immediately. As his convoy comes closer, Thom responds to Stena "Woah woah Commander Stena ma'am! Right, these ones rescued us! Yeah, after we got split up and whatnot, they did a real number on us. Ahem, oh, the other fishfolk, right? Not these guys." and he looks at Lia to see if she chimes in. Thom would continue "Who knows what our fate would've been had it not been for this group here. They healed us any everything."

"Prince, tell them, yeah?"

"What happened with you guys?"

Thom wouldn't get into the whole sacrifice thing just yet. Or anything about help getting to the surface afterwards. His main concern right now is trying to convince Madam Stena that the KT's that he and the others are all with are not hostile. He would explain everything on the way should this interaction go smoothly.

He'd also greet Galingal "Hey mate, you're alive! Great to see you. Come along with us and we can explain more. We are going to Slll.. Sullopp.. umm..." he looks embarrassingly towards Ploopp. "I am sorry sir, how do you pronounce the village again?"

When Stena draws down on them, the KT paddlers back paddle and halt the fleet of vessels. Some seem unsure whether to grab weapons, back up, or make a break for it, and all look to a kuo-toa dressed in robes, who in turn looks to the figure that looks like Thom.

The Derendil chimes in, "Indeed, they have a delectable fungus jerky, spicy, salty and vinegary!"

"Sloobludop. To rid it of Bloppblippodd and her false worship of the one she calls Leemooggoogoon, and restore worship in the TRUE god of our people, Blibdoolpoolp the Sea Mother!"

Cheers of agreement in Undercommon great the proclamation that comes from the robed kuo-toa, who while he clearly speaks in gurgling Undercommon, the meaning of his words is nonetheless understandable.

Galingal pauses the boat and back-paddles at the sight of the other kuo-toa.

"We make way to Sloobludop to find you," Galingal calls to the others. "But you."

He nods and points at the kuo-toa leader.

"You. How you treat prisoner?" Galingal asks then he nods back to the sandbars. "We find people butchered."

He looks back at Stena and looks in her eyes for a moment.

"Eldeth butchered."

Stena narrows her eyes at Thomas declaration and tries to determine if he is charmed or being controlled:

Not sure what?: 16

She switches her aim to the leader and adds,

"Yer fates would have like as not been the same as Eldeth. What makes these kau-tao different Thom? What do they want from ye that they'd help ye."

((Add 'as Eldeth' and the 16 became a 5. Roller is being super touchy lately.))

Lia waves enthusiastically, and says, “They saved us! They are against the other fishfolk… The others had gone rogue. Opposing tribes… you know how it is!… They healed us. We’re saved!! And we found you!…”.

She continues waving joyfully, although she looks a little worse for wear. Not injured, but disheveled, and covered in all manner of blood and bites and grime.

“We have some gear back! And weapons. Who’s missing? Have you seen Eldeth? Or any others? ..Uh?Are we all here?!…”.

She would urge the boats onward, to meet with the others.

(@Grwobert, You maybe missed it but Galingal noted that Eldeth had been butchered by the KT. Asking after her again would probably no result it happy words from Stena. Presuming Lia doesn't ask about Eldeth,))

Stena will shoot Galingal a look at the suggestion of 'fighting tribes'.

"Found us? We found ye."

Stena tilts her head towards to Buppido and says,

"Shuushar is also here."

If the boats move to get closer Stena will say,

"Stay where ye are until we get this sorted."

If she isn't heeded, regardless of who is urging the move forward, she'll fire a warning shot at the leader KT and say,

"The next one won't miss."

((OOC: good spot, sorry! Yes, imagine that wasn’t said. Edited. Thanks)).

((how far apart are the two groups now?))

Lia will stop urging the boats forward and say to the KTs to stop for a second near a sandbar, where Lia will jump out and wander forward. Her bow is stowed away, and her hands are out to the side palms forward in a peaceful gesture…

She wades forward. “We’re going to CowToe village… maybe we can regroup there and stock up?… … the Drow are unlikely to follow us that far into CowToe territory…”. 

((Boats 60 ft apart.))

*Edit: Had Buppy say something here, but he doesn't speak Common, so he's clueless to what the four of you have said, though he understands the KT leader.

Stena will say in a whisper, without shifting her gaze,

"What do ye think Galingal?"

She ignores Buppido.

((@Spider, any read on if they are charmed with that 16 that turned into a 5 above?))

She also scans the KTs for their disposition towards their boat.

Insight: 11

@Stena: 

They seem about how they seemed before... a bit overeager for her tastes.

As far as the KTs... They hate their boats? They'd like to have something nicer, perhaps with racing stripes?

((I might not be clear on what you wanted there, but with a nat 1...))

((Darn unappreciative KT! Though they are right about the racing stripes.))

Thom is going to stay in the boat as Lia steps out, and will wait until Stena and this situation calms. He would not have noticed Eldeth missing until Galingal mentioned her getting slain, but he would not ask anything about it right yet and just remain quiet after his explanation, now waiting for this situation to diffuse so we can continue towards Sloobludop.

After a bit, Thom would ask Galingal "wait mate... did you say you guys made it to Sloobludop looking for us? Or had you not made it there yet?"

He also says quietly "um... where did you find madam Eldeth dead?" trying to not let Stena hear but she obviously will. 

Galingal looks over to Stena and keeps his voice low.

"Different factions makes some sense," Galingal says in a low voice. "The ones that take others beat them first. Tie them up. Now they free to move and talk. Make sense this different kuo-toa."

He pauses for a moment or two, looking at the KTs and the other ex-prisoners then he turns back to Stena.

"Keep separate boat. No kuo-toa in this boat. Maybe find out who kill others. Maybe not. But many kuo-toa around. No drow. Wait and see then take opportunity to leave."

He looks at Stena for a few moments more before turning to Thom.

"No not go Sloobludop." Galingal says. He then points back to the sandbars behind them. "Back there dead. Ritual. Display. Someone making statement. Maybe he know more."

Galingal says the last while looking at Buppido.

 Stena keeps her aim fixed as she considers what Galingal says before slowly lowering it. She addresses the lead KT.

"We stay in this boat alone, no kua-toa anywhere near us. We'll follow ye. We see anything," she lifts her bow again, "Anything we don't like and we'll sink an arrow into ye. Understood? Aye need to find out who is responsible for what happened to Eldeth and repay them"

She lets her eyes linger on each of the KTs she can see.

Thom responds to Galingal, basically paying his condolences in an awkward way mostly towards Stena as he'd noticed the relationship that they had seemed to be forming.

"Ri.. ritual? Oh my..." and he lowers his head. "er... I am sorry madam Stena."

After a few moments he would nod his head like he was doing before, almost like falling in line as Stena addresses Ploopp to lead the way.

He gets his bow out again and would scan the surroundings if/when the boats resume the journey to Sloobludop.