Dimir's Out of the Abyss

Trill pats Oak on the side and chirps at him.

"We need to take this chance.", she says in Alkanos' voice. 

((I don't remember what was said happened to Alkanos and any of the others we lost along the way, I've just kind of been assuming that they got lost/killed in our flight from the drow when we didn't have the luxury of time or a transdimensional chest to lug them along to bury like we did Sarith.))

“Agreed. This could be our opportunity to get out of here.”

(I’m with you on the idea that Alkanos (and anyone else we’re missing that I’ve forgotten about) just never made it out of the prison. Zack was with us for a little while, though, and I kind of imagined he was crushed in the rockslide and we couldn’t recover his body.)

Nearly an hour or Ploopploopeen leading you across the narrow beach and occasionally shallow stretches of water, the beach gives way to a large outcropping jutting out into the Darklake. On this outcropping, the village of Sloobludop lies. Before you can enter the low, stone buildings, a high wall made of rope intertwined with shares of bone block your path. Ploopploopeen leads you to an opening in the wall that is guarded by 4 Kuo-toa. One of them looks excited at seeing Ploopploopeen while the other three give hostile glares with their large, unblinking eyes. You pass without problem.

Ploopploopeen leads you through the village. The buildings are several stories tall, and are all made of unbroken stone, almost as if they formed naturally. A staircase spirals around the buildings. Many of the building have rickety bridges spanning the gaps between them. There are no light sources except for an occasional patch of glowing algae.

You pass through sparse crowds of Kuo-toa doing those various daily activities. Some pause and stare at the group, but most pay you no attention. In the center of the village, A nine foot two statue stands there. Its body is roughly carved from some kind of wood in the shape of a humanoid female, its head and forearms formed from the severed head and claws of a giant albino crayfish. These parts are lashed on with strands of gut, and emit and overpowering stench of rotting shellfish. Shells, brightly colored stones, mushrooms, and rotten fish are piled at the statues feet and strung in garlands around its neck. Four stern Kuo-toa slowly circle the statue, alert and on guard, while a few others mill about, gazing up at the statue and bowing repeatedly while chanting.

You watch as a Kuo-toa approaches the statue looking smug. He looks to the others around him superiorly before fetching and vomiting all over the statue. The Kuo-toa look impressed at his actions, and he walks off looking proud. 

He leads you into a building near the shrine and tells you it is his home. Everyone else stays outside. He says, "When we entered, several Kuo-toa went to alert my daughter. They will come and get you in a few minutes."

His house is relatively austere. A heap of damp rags serve and his bed in a corner. A closed closet dominates one wall. A simple rug of fish scales adorns the floor.

This is all pretty alien to Oak. And he feels a little behind everyone else, having to wait for translations and not be able to get a bead on the intentions of these staring fish people at all...

But he’s grown to trust his party, and is reasonably comfortable with the deal that has been struck. So he waits on a signal from his team-mates that says he needs to act.

That being said, they can probably see he’s just mildly grumpy at being bound and told where to go, and is on edge, like a coiled spring. He’s ready and waiting.

Aimon looks around their surroundings, trying to take it all in. He was still trying to absorb that some how vomiting on a what looked like a shrine was a good thing. He had very nearly vomited up the contents of his stomach too when that happened.

"What can you tell us about your daughter and her followers before they get here?" Aimon asks. "How many supporters does she have? Does she have any power we should be wary of?"

The priest begins walking around the room and gesturing excitedly with his hands. He says, "Nearly 1⁄4 of my people follow my daughter. We are split into, fighting among ourselves. The followers of the Deep Father, Leemooggoogoon, have been making an increasing number of offerings on his altar, killing blood sacrifices -- then casting bloody chum into the waters of the Darklake, where it is consumed by... something."

At the end of his sayings, another fish person bursts into the room and angrily says, "Father! What are these surface dwellers doing down here? They have no right to interfere."

 The priest chuckles and waves a dismissive hand at his son. He says, "I must flow with the goddess's visions."

His son scoffs in anger, then whirls around and leaves angrily.

Aimon moves closer to the rest of the group and lowers his voice.

"I have know I idea what's going on here. The daughter is just as likely to ask us to come back and kill the father," he says. "If I had to come up with a plan, it would be to hold off fighting anyone for as long as possible until we get a better idea of what's happening."

He pauses, reflecting on the priest's words.

"I don't like the sound of whatever is eating the sacrifices in the lake. If we find a land access out of here, that's my vote."

“I agree... but our hand may be forced if either of them actually do start to sacrifice us!” Oak mutters back.

”And a land route out would be preferable” he says, still recovering from the sick feeling from the raft and the chest.

Oak is probably hunched down and uncomfortable in these small fish hovels.

Within the hour, 13 fish people arrive at the house you are currently in. The archpriest of the Sea Mother admits the fish people and informs their leader who is wearing fine robes made of fish scales that he, his whip, and the prisoners will accompany them to see the art priest of the deep father. There are escorted to the altar of the deep father near the docks, where Bloppblippodd, Ploopploopeen's daughter, awaits them.

As you begin to file out being led by your captors, you see that many of the villagers are heading towards the same spot you are. One of them near you shambles forward, snoring as she goes. You think that she might be sleep walking. You travel towards the docks, and then you see the idol of the Deep Father. The idol to Leemooggoogoon the Deep Father consists of a large hide cut roughly in the shape of a manta ray and stretched out on cords between two support poles. 2 dead octopuses are draped across the top, there tentacles pin and artfully arrayed, their heads tied together and painted with red and blue pigments. The idol reeks of diary, and the broad stone alter below the idol is stained dark with blood.

Atop a pedestal behind the alter, you see another fish person, the spitting image of her father. As the whole village gathers around the alter, the arch priest of the Sea Mother Steps forward across the span of the alter toward the Kuo-toa waiting for him. "The time has come," he says, " for us to go acknowledge your divine vision and welcome it. I have brought these as offerings. " He gestures toward all of you, standing with in a circle of guards behind him. "Will you not accept them?"

 " You are wise, father, " hisses the younger archpriest. "I accept your offering in the name of the Deep Father. May their blood nourish and strengthen him!" A gurgling cheer goes up from the surrounding Kuo-toa, their fists raised in the air.

The fish people begin to parade around the alter in a wide circle as they chant. Part of their path sends them splashing and waiting through the shallows of the lake. The characters quickly cannot tell 1 faction of fish folk from the others, but they see the arch priest of the Sea Mother and his assistant moving toward the alter.

Bloppblipodd calls for the sacrifices to be brought forth, and 1 fish person per character jumps to do her bidding. They prod the characters with their spears to heard them toward a slight depression 20' from the alter, with a large grate at its center. The characters can see that the stonework of the depression is stained with the blood of innumerable sacrifices, and they can hear the gentle lapping of the lake lapping up through the grate. The chanting grows louder.

When the sacrifices are brought forward, Bloppblipodd gestures toward the alter, whereupon her father suddenly attacks her with his staff. Kuo-toa loyal to him surge forward to attack, while the guards that brought the characters forward stand in shock.

Roll initiative.

"Your god has abandoned you. It holds no sway down here."

Trill calls out in Mistress Ilvara's voice.

Initiative: 24

((Where are we at, re: weapons? Are they crazy enough to have left us armed this whole time? I'm assuming if Ploopploopeen wants our help taking out his daughter, he'd at least have arranged to have them close at hand for us? If not, we should have made that a conditional part of the plan.))

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

"Your god has abandoned you. It holds no sway down here."

Trill calls out in Mistress Ilvara's voice.

Initiative: 24

((Where are we at, re: weapons? Are they crazy enough to have left us armed this whole time? I'm assuming if Ploopploopeen wants our help taking out his daughter, he'd at least have arranged to have them close at hand for us? If not, we should have made that a conditional part of the plan.))

 

 They left you armed. You get the feeling they are confident they can take you down with their religious zeal and overwhelming numbers. Nearly 500 Kuo-toa are at the ritual with you.

"Stay off that grate if you can," Aimon calls to the others. "Whatever they've been sacrificing people to is down there and I'd rather not get to know it."

Aimon's Initiative: 16 

“I didn’t realize there would be this many of them!” Caelynn calls as chaos breaks out, suddenly a bit less confident in their abilities.

Caelynn initiative: 18

((So crazy, but somewhat justifiably confident in their crazy.))

Oak mutters to his companions, “We might not have to worry about all of them... a couple looked like they were sleep walking!... Not sure if that’s as reassuring as I meant it to be!...”. He shuffles his feet and prepares to spring in to action...

”Don’t forget they may start to kill each other, like last time,... we’re just the bystanders in this until we attack...”.

Oak’s initiative: 16 

Kuo-toa initiative: 4

Topsy Initiative: 20

Jimjar Initiative: 10

Eldeth initiative: 21

Party goes first.

There is a moment of hesitation as silence suddenly fills the air, every unblinking eye looking up at the altar in unbelief. The Archpriest of the Sea Mother raises his staff for another strike. You think this the moment to act he was referring to.

Caelynn whirls around, slipping out of her loose bonds and drawing daggers from her belt in one fluid motion. She stabs down with both towards the kuo-toa who was guiding her forwards, not certain which members of the crowd are enemies but knowing for sure that this one needs to be taken out. The blades leave a faint trail of purple light as they arc downwards.

Main attack (with +1 dagger): Attack: 26 Damage: 9 magical piercing

Off hand attack: Attack: 22 Damage: 4 magical piercing

Dreadful strikes if either hits: 3 psychic

Watching what was about to happen convinced Aimon that they’re not getting out of this without spilling some blood. The guards were more than happy to sacrifice the group to whatever foul, vomit loving deity the kuo-toa had.

He’s still not sure whether the father is better than daughter and it’s probably best for the whole village if they both died. But for now Aimon would settle on just getting the party out of here.

He draws Dawnbringer, grips her with two hands, and slashes out at the guard next to him.

Action: Attack with Sneak Attack (assuming one of the others is within 5’ - if not, then Rakish Audacity kicks in) - Attack: 16 Damage: 14  plus Sneak Attack Damage of 9 

Then he moves quickly to the side, moving closer to the father and daughter high priests.

Bonus Action: Cunning Action Disengage 

When this all kicks off, and seeing his companions begin to fight, Oak just lets go of everything he'd been holding back, through the last few encounters. He lets his loose bindings just drop away, and he lets out the most almighty, bellowing roar. If the Kau Toa don't understand common, then they might at least understand that! He draws his greataxe, and attempts to cleave the fish-person leading him clean in half...

Bonus action: frenzied rage ((If you don't frenzy when there are 500 enemies around you, when do you frenzy? That's what I say!))

Attack action: Attack: 18 Damage: 14 (magical slashing damage)

Movement: if this kills his captor, then he will move to engage a fishperson that's troubling one of his friends. His general direction of movement would also be towards the main alter and the two arch-priests if possible. Otherwise he will stay in melee with his enemy.

As part of her calling out in Mistress Ilvara's voice, Trill interlaces her insult with mockery as she demeans the daughter priest.

((Vicious mockery, WIS Save 14 or 2 psychic and disadvantage on attack.))

She also gives voice to a driving, frantic drumbeat as Oak goes full bull, the sound urging his heartrate to keep up. ((Bardic Inspiration for the big guy.))

((If she can get closer to the idol of the Sea Father without taking an opp att, she will.))