Dimir's Out of the Abyss

Caelynn and Aimon, you notice that a small boat is approaching the group from the direction of the settlement. You can see 4 figures hunched on the boat and three more swimming in the water near the boat. You can see weapons clutched in their grasp.

((There are a few things you could do to change the outcome, so I'll let you act first.))

((Given her background, does Trill have any familiarity with kuotoa? History: 7))

Aimon spots the advancing party using the cover of darkness to their advantage. 

“Hail their neighbors,” Aimon calls out to them in under common. “We were hoping to spend a bit of time in your beautiful town. We mean no harm.”

But Aimon’s not sure that these seven kuo-toa are a welcoming party.

He raises the hilt of Dawnbringer.

Do you think you could do the bright daylight thing you did before? I think we’d rather not have to fight this group if we’re going to ask them for help later. And maybe your bright light might make them pause long enough for us to talk to them Aimon asks Dawnbringer.

Oak doesn’t know anything about these strange fish people. He simply stays near the back of the raft, keeps his weapons stowed, makes himself a little smaller than usual, and raises his hands in front of his chest, palms up, in a gesture of peace. Though he remains ready for anything.

((did someone have comprehend languages up? Has it faded?))

“Please, lower your weapons, just as we are lowering ours.” Caelynn adds in Undercommon, hanging her crossbow on her belt and holding her hands up to show they are empty. She says the last part with a pointed glance towards Aimon, who she notices is about to summon Dawnbringer. His words of peace and raised sword would send some mixed messages, which she worries would prevent their negotiations from going well.

Trill, you know that many of the Kuo-toa are fanatically religious. They worship a being known as the Sea Mother. She is an entity who focuses on scavenging, hoarding, and living off the oceans bounty. They are slightly xenophobic. As a whole, they are a bit crazed and excitable.

Dawnbringer says, "I will if they attack. I don't like harming innocents. We don't know their intentions yet."

 You hear a watery voice cry out in Undercommon, "Prepare to be boarded and captured! We will escort you to Sloobludop! In chains! Praise the Sea Mother for our bounty!!!" A few other voices join in his praising.

What do you do?

((The alternative was them attacking without talking first))

Aimon nods to Caelynn and slips Dawnbringer back into his belt.

"Oh, thank goodness," Aimon says in Undercommon. "Praise the Sea Mother. We were worried you were Drow slavers or worse. Is there anyway to avoid the whole chains part of this?The Drow were keeping us as slaves until we escaped. I'm happy to say you captured us, but chains remind us of our servitude."

(Persuasion or Deception - same modifier - if it helps: 14  )

He turns and whispers back to the others.

"We're about to be boarded by a Kuo-toa welcoming party. Let's try to keep it friendly.

Oak can’t speak under common, and is at the back, so has missed much of the discussion about slavery and capture. But in response to Aimon, he’ll simply say “If they escort us to dry land, I’m happy with that...”. He looks slightly sick of the motion of the raft.

He maintains he’s peaceful demeanour for now.

((is the chest closed and invisible?))

(I would assume it is if you want it to be. I think we tried to make it into some sort of awkward backpack, though we didn’t specify who was carrying it.)

”Praise the Sea Mother,” Caelynn repeats. “We will come with you willingly. As my companion has said, there is no need for chains.”

To Oak, she whispers, “That seems to be their intention, though I’m a bit worried what they plan to do with us once we’re there.”

(Also rolling persuasion, just in case: 12)

Oak whispers to Caelynn, still keeping up his calm and peaceful posture, “hmm... well at least  there we might not be at  such a disadvantage, as we are here!”.

The Kuo-toa boat comes into view. The Kuo-toa appear to be humanoids. Their five foot frame is covered in small, green-gray scales. Some have purple and blue scales instead. Pudgy rolls of scaled flesh droop from some parts of their body. They have large, unblinking yellow eyes similar to a fish. Several short tendrils dangle from around their mouths and gives them a look of a catfish. One of them on the boat seems more muscular, and it wields a large staff with a pincher claw attached to the end.

That one says, "Do not resist, or we will slay you!" He raps his staff against the boat to accent his point, and electrical energy crackles along the staff for a moment.

 If you don't resist, several of the Kuo-toa climb aboard and bind you hands in front of you with thick cords of damp rope with their clammy hands. Jimjar gives an apologetic shrug to the group as he is bound. Eldeth consents, but doesn't look happy about it. Topsy let's her hands be bound without complaint.

Trill will allow herself to be bound, but she knows her knots, and would like hold her hands in such a way that she'd be able to relax once bound and not have it be as tight, and pay attention to the knot used.

((Let me know what rolls you might like.))

Aimon flexes his hands, feeling relatively confident that his nimble fingers will be able to untie the ropes once they’re on.

He holds his hands out in front to let them be bound.

Caelynn sighs, but holds out her arms to be bound. She notices Trill positioning her hands in a weird way and attempts to copy the motion, hoping it will make it easier to break out if needed.

Make a Sleight of Hand check.

Kuo-toa Perception: 21

Oak is at the back of the group, so will probably be approached last.

He'll slowly stand, from scrunched down, to his full height, as the fish-people approach. This seems to take longer than it should, and he seems to get bigger and taller, and wider. More so, even, than his party would expect. Since he'd normally have a natural stoop and a slight hunch, a little softness in his knees and thighs. But for the first time in a long time, he reaches his full imposing height: legs straight; back straight; shoulders back. He stands there amongst his smaller friends, and these diminutive aquatic-folk, towering above them: a mountain of course fur and muscle. The proud army Captain, clear to see in his demeanour now. The ex slave's heart, burning in his eyes...

He'll see all the others' wrists bound one by one. His breath is slow and deep. A long slow sorting rumble with each out-breath. He's experienced this, many times before, but he's never been quite this big before, quite this capable.

Oak looks at each of his friends in turn, gauging their capabilities while bound, and their recommendations to him in their eyes. He looks at each Kau Toa in turn, calculating the measure of their character...

He stands there, unfathomably huge on this little raft, amongst these small folk. He eyes the Kau Toa approaching him with bindings. He stares unblinking at the fish eyes unblinking back at him. He dares the fish-creature to approach him with his eyes, snorting down at it with each breath.

Oak raises his hands from his sides, seemingly glacially-slow as the tension builds. Each second spanning an eon. HIs hands rise slowly. His muscular fingers gently splayed. He reaches his hands out slowly forwards towards the Kao Toa approaching him. His little finger on his right hand twitching almost imperceptibly, like the finger of a gunslinger before the noon-time church-bell. Is he reaching out to have his hands bound, or to throttle the creature before him? Both look equally likely on his face. Will the fish-thing dare approach him? His outward appearance is totally neutral for now (albeit naturally imposing)...

In these split seconds he will try to gauge the feeling of the party and the walking-fish (if any indications are forthcoming)...

He stands, his hands out, waiting for his captor to be close enough to bind his wrists...

Sleight of Hand: 7

Trill knows her knots and ropes, she knows how to be subtle about it.

She looks aside to Oak, speaking his given name to get his attention, along with a line recycled from Caelynn. "'mmMBbwaauu-u-u-uurrrr’  wait for things to calm down?"

“Easy big guy,” Aimon adds. “We’ve come into their territory uninvited. If it turns bad we can get out of these ropes and fight our way out.”

Aimon watches the captors carefully when they tie his hands, saving that info for later if he needs to untie himself.

Two Kuo-toa are in the water preparing to tow your boat. The one who was talking is on his boat about 15 feet away. Four are on your boat. Three of them are tying hands while the other one is standing guard. They all have various weapons stowed across their body. The one standing guard is wielding a spear that looks similar to a harpoon made of bone. She also is holding a shield covered in a viscous lime green liquid. The rope is pretty thick. To bind your wrists, they move adjacent to you.

Oak hears Aimon and Trill. The sound of his given name breaking through his thought processes completely... He snorts his acceptance of the truth "fFRrumph-h-h...".

Then he bows his head a little, and holds his hands over to the Kao Toa: fists balled, arms together, wrists facing the ceiling, ready to be tied...