To Rhogal, it sounded like these mushroomy fellas wanted an exchange of information before they trust hum with their knowledge. Normally he'd be hesitant to tell some strange folk about his people, but his vow to his superiors to complete his quest is pushing that feeling to the wayside. The fact that these folk haven't immediately jumped to agree to a deal also gives him some ease to give what he can.

"My folk of Dahm Kulassen 'ave been diggin' our hills, the Rolling Jades, fer hundreds o' years, followin' the gems and veins o' the earth. As mines end, we expand our home and efforts. Our work has gotten us across the entire expanse of the Rolling Jades down and damn near to the very depths of our world an' there don't seem to be any slowing down. Mostly due to 2,000 or so able bodies."

"We 'ave a council of foremen and chiefs in charge of matters. It's thanks ta them I be out here."

He says that last part with a hint of pride.

"I won't lie, it wasn't always smooth work. There have been any number o' beasties that made either their homes down there, or stumble upon us an' try ta force us out. We had our fare share o' scraps wit'em. Some we win, others we decide ta leave be. We're stubborn, but we ain't stupid."

(Can guidance be applied? If not, ignore it.)

Survival: 22 (original 20)

Guidance: 1 (original 4)

(@Drache: Let's go with a final roll of 24.)

Apart from Yulmiath's few words of encouragement, the Packers' follow Hun's lead and stay silent but observant during the exchange of mental words between Rhogal and the Myconid Sovereign.

"Your people seek survival deep into the embrace of earth itself, not unlike the meld." The sovereign eventually responds. "Your violent exploration troubles the meld and is reminiscent of that of the rock hermits', but your willing to admit it without being prodded is commendable." The sovereign pauses for a moment, as if considering the next words to be shared carefully. The sovereign's body creaks a bit, not unlike that of an old tree when forced to move by a storm, though the Myconid is only slightly shifting in its place. "I invite you to join in the meld for but a moment, so that we may all enlighten each other minds. Show me your true intent and I will reward you with what you seek."

With that, the haze of milky spores that surrounds the sovereign turns to a bright pink color. The spores travel around and are "inhaled" by all other myconids in the cave, who immediately fall into a sort of meditative trance. Rhogal and all Snack Packers are obviously expected to inhale the spores as well. 

(OOC: Those who try to resist the meld must roll a CON saving throw {DC 12}. Those who accept the meld may simply state so without needing to roll.)

Kairus, who was the very embodiment of curiosity, enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to try a new way of communication. "Maybe not as beautiful as music, but certainly effective!" With that verdict, he gladly shared the pictures of his underwater home (trying not to concentrate on the horrific battles tritons had to endure on the daily basis), added some science from his sailor past, and then the best memories of the island - turtle's settlement, quiet night (or was it whole "two quiet nights?") by the sea with the stars above, the view from the top of the mountain - nice things. All of this was accompanied by the appropriate music (you do need some music if you are serious about cultural exchange).

Yulmiath, somewhat reticently, looks to the other members of the Snack Pack.  Shrugging his shoulders given the headlong dive Karius has taken into the new mode of communication offered by the meld, the dragonborn closes his eyes and breathes deeply of the spores.

His mind instantly jumps to the sensation of a ship crossing the waters in full sail.  The freedom offered by the open water and the excitement of being the master of your own fate.  A deep sense of pride floods Yulmiath as he recalls the bond with his crewmates and the sensation of pride is suddenly joined by a deep melancholy at their loss and the loss of the ship and loss of his way of life snatched away so suddenly, so callously, so cruelly...

Suddenly, anger surrounds Yulmiath.  The water is gone. The boat is gone. The pride and comradeship and the melancholy. Gone.  Just an anger, a deep-seated rage that threatens to burn everything, burn everyone, including himself...

Two thoughts come unbidden to the forefront of Yulmiath's mind, quelling the storm of anger as quickly as a summer storm might be replaced with blue skies with only the water underfoot and the cool smell of rain in the air the only reminder at the power that had come before.  The first, is an image of another dragonborn.  Not red.  Black.  Female, and staring out at the horizon from a port town somewhere far away. The other, is the group in which Yulmiath finds himself.  The Snack Pack.  A small crew.  One thrust together by circumstance, not choice, but some of the bonds there are already good, others growing in strength and the sensation of pride is back, pricking the back of his mind.  Yulmiath has found a new crew.

Every instinct of every fiber of the kobold's little being demanded he resist 'the meld'. Yet after quietly and quickly weighing the pros and cons, Hun took some tentative inhales with the intention of at least trying to guide any thoughts and eventual inquires towards purely on the things that led up to the most recent mission. Or failing that, he'd try to keep the deep damage to the random memories of the past twenty years, including his extensive time at sea and working the lower districts/docks of some cities/towns as a Harper Agent. It wasn't as if any intel in the latter case would do the myconid any good. 

Somewhere, in the back of Rhogal's mind was nagging doubt. Murmurs, whispers and jeering laughter of his stronghold. Perhaps he was ignoring it. Maybe he couldn't shoved those memories in the deepest recesses in his mind. The longer he went on this journey, the louder that doubt seemed to get. It was only a matter of time began to get a voice.

But, now. In this moment, he feels more vindicated than ever. Even if these answers aren't exactly what he's looking for, it is still a massive step forward. It's time to deny that doubt that voice! He takes a deep inhale of the spores.

The group joins in the meld, some more enthusiastically than others. They are mentally invited to steer the communal hallucination in whatever direction they feel comfortable. Kairus takes the lead and shows the myconids his underwater home and the highlights of the recent adventure on this very island. Yul builds on the sailing theme the bard touched on and shares his absolute love for the sea and the freedom it provides. Krodhen shares this feeling as well, at least to some extent, but remains more reserved. Hun, too, is more timid in sharing, but what he shares is just as welcomed. Rhogal adds visuals to the mental/verbal description of his people from earlier in this encounter.

The meld's response ebbs and flows. Much of it is new to them and its sharing is welcomed as part of their enlightenment: the sea, underwater communities, sailing, complete freedom of movement, purposeful rage, companionship, secret societies, dock work, mining, and building. Other topics hit closer to home: frustration, loss, a desire to hide that which may put you in a precarious position, self-doubt.

As the ritual continues, the meld takes over the common hallucination and steers it not toward what has been but toward what can be. You all see a vision that builds on what Rhogal has shared. You see the people of the vast depths of the Rolling Jades, now fully settled and satisfied with their tunnels. They are no longer digging, no longer reaching deeper, no longer warring with other deep dwellers for the mountains' embrace. The dwarven society is at peace, reaching prosperity never seen before. Trade with the outside world is purposeful, profitable, and peaceful. Food supplies are plentiful and, at the heart of this societal stability, is the colony's unique approach to underground farming, if you could call it that. You see vast caverns replete with well-ordered and perfectly tended-to fungi of all sizes, shapes, and colors. They provide food, medicine, entertainment, and enlightenment to those who desire it. The delicate but intensive work of tending to these mushroom farms is not the responsibility of the Rolling Jades' dwarves, but of their allies in achieving such a prosperous and peaceful ecosystem: a colony of myconids whose work, culture, and approach to life have achieved an almost symbiotic quality with those of the dwarven society it sustains.

The visions die down as the Snack Packers are a brought out of the meld once more. You all feel a bit woozy from the experience. The sovereign speaks in your minds using your own voices once more. Although all can hear it, It is clear that Rhogal is the one being primarily addressed: "With time, dedication, and a purposeful work, what you saw can be achievable. Say the word and the meld will provide you with what is needed to take the first step."

Yulmiath takes a long, deep breath, enjoying the experience of being part of the meld. Opening his eyes, he is suddenly back to himself, feeling somehow lighter for the experience and somehow full.

Hun coughs and hacks and shakes his head. "That... ugh... That was, uh... that was something. Very strange, but... hm..." He trails off from there looking to the others with a mixture of new understanding and discomfort written plainly on his scaley face. If any look back to him however, he immediately looks away and grumbling "Freaking therapy session" under his breath. 

For all of his discomfort and new "weirdness", and perhaps as a means of escaping it, Hun promptly chimed in after Rhogal gives his own answer, "Hey, uh, two things, uhm... Soverign of this Meld or... wh-whatever. Uhm... Do tunnels connect this cave to the one that got wrecked by the little rock bastards? And secondly, has a man by the name of Volothamp visted your cluster? Or was noted by them? He's human and wouldn't be local like those other tribesman." 

Hearing the sovereign offer a start in achieving his goal; knowing how his own kind is, there will be some resistance. But as the old mushroom man said, hard work and diligence will pay off in the end. Lucky for him, dwarves have that in spades.

"Aye, a first step sounds like it's all I need. Th' rest I can take care of. Wit' time an' luck, more of my kin may help."

Hearing Rhogal's response, the sovereign sends some of his milky white spores to join with the dwarf's own ever-present (but invisible) swirling spores. "When you find your people ready, call on these spores to take root and the beginnings of a new circle of myconids will sprout. They will already have all the knowledge this meld possesses."

-> Once per day, Rhogal can now cast the spell Conjure Animals, but it can only be used to conjure two Myconid Sprout or one Myconid Adult. This spell cannot be upcast or used to summon any other creature. Myconids are pacifists and will not join in a battle. Let's call this spell Conjure Myconids instead so we remember these limitations.

Sensing a sort of conclusion in the air, at least when it comes to the spreading of spores, Hun seizes the chance to change subjects. The kobold is unsure whether it is the sovereign or the meld overall who is responding via Hun's own voice in his head. "Deep tunnels indeed connect to two other caves with exits to the exterior world, one close and the other farther away." A moment of pause prefaces the next answer: "A human male came to the meld not long ago and asked for passage through the meld's dwellings. The meld granted such passage but has not seen this man again. He followed the deep path to the other caves, of which you have now just asked."

Concentrating hard on forming the words in his head, his brow furrows and he closes his eyes again. Yulmiath tries to ask a further question of the meld. <<The deep caves, is there anything dangerous there? Anything violent?>>

Opening his eyes and rubbing a hand over his forehead, he looks to the other Packers, "Uh, before we start making plans about the deep caves, or seeking out some geonids, let's not forget Eeyal is still posted up by the entrance to this cave. Can't leave our guide behind, imagine there's a pretty steep surcharge on that."

Hun's eyes lit up at the news and couldn't help fist pumping the air for good measure. "Oh! Right! Good point, Mr. Yully. Very good point! Though I can't imagine she'll be eager to be away for the-..." He pauses, tapping his chin in thought, then turned to ask of the meld aloud both for permission for Eeyal to enter the cavern and further details on how long it might take to reach the other caverns using the deep tunnels. Knowing or believing the concept of time might be a bit of a foreign or difficult concept for the tranquil creatures, he'd warily offer to help guide them in its understanding via the meld. 

-> Hun's Nature: 14. 
(if able/allowed to slap on a guidance: 3.)

With Rhogal taking in his gift in silence for a few moments, the conversation takes another direction.

In response to Yulmiath's question, the meld can only share limited information: "Many dangers lie ahead. The meld is restricted to this area near the entrance of the cave as we are unable to peacefully advance deeper into the cave system. You should be careful if advancing underground."

The dragonborn then reminds the group that their guide is still outside and, after Hun gets permission from the sovereign, Eeyal is brought in. The tortle is simultaneously mesmerized by what she sees and uncomfortable about being in a cave. "We tortles dislike not being able to see the sun and/or the moon. I... I... I am not sure I'll be able to join you should you choose this path." Her anxiety level has clearly spiked. She tries to distract herself a bit by asking about these moving mushrooms, which seems to be news to her as well.

Realizing that the myconids might not share in the humanoids' sense of time, direction, and distance, Hun takes it upon himself to give them a crash course on at least the first of these topics so that the Snackers can get even more useful information. The meld welcomes this new piece of enlightenment, though they struggle with the concept at first. Soon, they manage an estimate, which Hun interprets as meaning half a day for the farther cave entrance, and a quarter that amount for the closer one. Based on what Eeyal had previously shared with the group, the kobold knows this should save them at least a few hours compared to the above-ground route, assuming the myconids really understood this time/distance lecture. 

"We might want to begin with that southern cave, the one they keep snake statue in. And Eeyal can go around and wait for us outside that cave." Kairus did not like tunnels either but was curious enough to give it a try.

Yulmiath frowns and folds his arms, "Hmmm. I'm still not sure we want to help out those skeletal snakes by returning their weird statue to their creepy blood stained altar, but putting an end to the violent geonids might mean that we're at least making sure the meld here are a little more secure."

Shrugging, he tilts his head as if considering a new thought, "If we head through the caves, there's a chance we might bump into Hun's Volothump guy down there."

Then he gives a long, slow exhale and looks a bit sad. "I think this means that this is where we'll leave you though, Eeyal.  Will you be safe if we go our separate ways? Would you be happy to meet us at the next cave mouth? If you're heading back to town, I doubt you can return that canoe by yourself!"

Krodhen unease with the experience provided by the Myconoids is apparent in his demeanor and voice "Wherever we are going, can we get moving.  No offence, but I don't like having others inside of my head" 

And at the suggestion of sending Eeyal to the next cave alone he adds "Bit risky for the youngling to head to the cave alone...might just find himself at the mercy of a bunch of 'em.  Better to camp somewhere further away, or even outside this here cave.  Just want Eeyal to know the risks is all."

"Eh, now that we know where that statue is, I don' feel too keen on leavin' the matter be." Rhogal furrows his brow. "Since them rocky lot are also botherin' the mushroom folk, I'll fer sortin' our our promise."