As Uthal is pulling the tubing up, Current heads down. Following the path of tubing, she looks around underwater for any sign of Bloth.

Perception: 6

As Current follows the tube down, the water temperature begins to drop, as does her visibility. The tube led down approximately 70 or 80 feet and sloped going in a general southward direction another 50 feet, before Current found herself swimming blind.

Uthal just continues to slowly pull, letting Maas set the pace. "Who are the people who hired you? More like those you brought here before? Or different people?"

Maas continues to pull with Uthal. Either focused on the work, or awaiting to see what surfaces, he never looks Uthal in the eye as he speaks. "It was a royal funded expedition, led by Tetra and Zelda Berossus. The scholars wanted to salvage and study the black metal. They said it was the secret behind Sardynea. The body guards were there to protect us all from competing expeditions who might try to sabotage the work,, or take everything for themselves. It was a much larger group that came through Lindenfeld; most left about a week ago for a second location. Not sure where they went, but I haven't seen anyone return, until you all showed up."

As the pulling slowed, a large 'thing' brushed past Current. It went upward in the same direction that the tube was being hoisted, on the surface. She was unable to make out what/who it was, in her current state. All she could tell was that it was about three times larger than her, moved fluidly in the water, and was heading straight for the rest of the party.

"Huh, so news about us reached town faster than news that Zelda is wanted by the Hand for illegal experimentations on citizens. Seems about right." Uthal says as he hauls, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

At Ura’s suggestion, Anearis stood up and began moving the tube closer to the stairs in a way that could hinder movement through it.

As he did so, Anearis listened to Maas’s explanation. "How many "bodyguards" do you recall seeing?", he asked. "Are the royals also down here or are they hiding somewhere else? 

Maas slowed almost to a stop, as though in thought from something Uthal had said, before resuming. "Zelda is wanted by the Right Hand?" There wasn't what one would consider, full conviction, in Maas's voice. More so that he wasn't convinced, but considered the possibility. "We've been hear almost a month. Hard to tell without sunlight." 

Maas turned toward Anearis, but more so just to see where the questions were coming from, as he turned back to pulling, while he responded. "Basically just a skeleton crew of us left here. Most left after we managed to retrieve the strips of black metal. Those two down in the hall may have been the last of the guards. Its hard to know for sure, I didn't have an exact count before."

Current swims quickly back up after realizing that she has no hope of seeing anything down here without light. When she brushes against something and senses its massive size, she races to the top as quickly as possible and speaking through Tide as she swims. Current's voice calls out on the surface from the sprite's mouth saying, "There is something big coming up! I am not sure if Bloth was some kind of giant, but this thing is huge!"

Athletics: 9

With limited senses in the cold dark water, Current hadn't noticed the creature until it had already passed her, shooting up towards the party. Unable to swim fast enough to catch it, the warning issued by the sprite, still on the surface with the rest of the party was too little, too late.

Uthal: 15

Maas: 16

Maas managed to fall back onto the cavern floor, outside of the thing's grasp, but as it launched out of the ground, the heavy, dark, wet, floppy, one-eyed, multi-tendriled creature came to rest atop Uthal and the pump. Spanning an area of approximately ten square feet, it's musky scent was all Uthal could smell as it blocked out light, sound and air; smothering the goliath.

Uthal will try to shove whatever this is off of himself. 

Athletics: 10

"Hang on a minute there," Ura says, while things are still peaceable while she and the mage hand pump the levers.  "Who is Tetra Berossus?  I don't know anything about the royalty here, other than that they're all assho---whoa, Tymora's ass, what the hell is that?!" she yells, reflexively jumping back as the tentacled creature hits the ground with a wet splat.

Austin steps back from the thing, lifting her staff in preperation for blasting it, but holds as she tries to get an idea of what the thing is.

Current swims up furiously after whatever came past her. As soon as her head breaks the surface and she sees the creature lying on the ground there she yelps in surprise. Squinting her eyes, she ignores her freezing body and thinks for a second as she looks at the creature's tendrils trying to determine if this was the creature that she had caught a glimpse of before.

Her moment of shock over, Ura runs over to help Uthal free himself.

Maas was horrified at first, by the struggle between Uthal and the massive floppy creature of the deep. It was difficult to say who was even winning. "It's Bloth's suit." Juppo said, finally standing again, though still looking down. 

Upon examination and both Ura and Maas helping Uthal out of the mess, the 'thing's turned out to be something resembling an enormous sheet of leather, with a series of waving belts and buckles, and a single round glass plate. 

Water continued to drip from it, though the oily material didn't actually appear to absorb any of the water. The odd shapes in it came from pockets of air trapped where seams in the material held, whereas other random ones had since split. Juppo examined the material. "The seams have burst, as have some of the straps. None of them are clean cuts." There were even a couple uneven tears in parts of the leather. Holding an edge of the leathery sheet, Juppo looked up at Maas and the rest of the group. Once again tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. "What's happened to Bloth?"

Anearis look at the creature that, he was fairly sure, was the human Bloth. He only felt pity for the man for having been consumed by darkness. Another victim of the Berossus's ambitions.

''Your friend is lost.'' he said regrettably. ''I do not know if he can be saved.''

Uthal finally pushes the suit off of himself with help and struggles to his feet. He looks it over for any signs of blood or clues that might lead to its missing occupant. As Anearis speaks he nods, "Another victim of the Berrosus family and their madness." 

"Is there anything left inside that suit?" Ura asks, unable to make heads or tails of it.  She does pull out a dagger and makes ready to cut it open.  "Should I try to take this thing apart and check?"  Her question is directed at Juppo and Maas.

"You're welcome to it, but likely any bits of Bloth that may have been in there, would have been blasted out by the air." Maas lifts a flap of the leathery fabric, and folds it over, showing that beneath the thing, was just the underside of a single fabric layer. "It may have taken a genius to think it up, but even a dunce could build it. It's pretty much a leather sheet, and the buckles strap it to you. The pump makes an air pocket at the head," Maas pointed to the circular glass pane, and then as new air comes in, the old is pushed out through openings at the arms and legs. "Keeping the whole body warm. It's the only way to survive in those icy depths---"

Maas stopped himself, turning towards Juppo. "But I have no doubt Bloth found himself in another cavern. Just gotta link back up with him." Looking at the halfling hopefully, and silently, until Juppo presented a half-hearted smile.

Uthal gives them both a pat on the shoulder. "Have faith if that is what you believe happened. Even in the darkness faith will take you far."