Thodek nods, "I agree, lets get people down here settled before we leave. Easier to do it this way, rather than go up and try and come back down. From my understanding, the surface is quite a distance away."

"Fine with me. If the Kuo-Tua are going to provide us with some aid getting across the Darklake, we should be able to be within days of Stool's home." Voyage agrees as well. "It's the least we can do. More than any of us, the child deserves to be with its own kind."

All the NPCs engaging in the conversation nod their heads in agreement as well. Glowing green spores begin to fill the room emanating from Stool. The small myconid seems very happy and you hear his childish telepathic voice enter your heads. “Thank you! My people are kind and peaceful, and hopefully will treat us well.”

Assuming everyone is done with the RP, we seem good to move on. Morning comes without issue; we will say you still had shifts out of habit and possibly a incomplete trust of the Kuo Toa. 

You awake to the sounds of soft knocking at the door. A couple seconds later, two Kuo Toa— different from last night— enter and ask in undercommon. “Are you ready? Ploopploopeen awaits your arrival at the shrine of the Sea Mother.”

(Thodek would have easily been able to craft both a Shortsword and ball bearings if Voyage and Syvis respectively would like to add those to their inventory.)

Thodek presents the creations to their new owners, "I'm ready whenever you all are."

Voyage takes the shortsword and gives it a few lazy swings through the air.

"Aye, this is fine. My thanks. Let's be done with this so we can continue onward on our way."

"I'm ready as well. Faster we get this done, the faster we can return home." Nicholas checks his equipment as he makes ready for the day ahead.

Syvis, standing with her back against the wall next to the door, hefts the bag of ball bearings before pocketing them. "You have my thanks, Thodek," she says and nods curtly in appreciation. Turning to the kuo-toa, "Lead on. We are ready by necessity."

(Sorry! Has been a busy day)

Shuushar awakens and tells the party. “I will plan to stay here with the children,” he says indicating to Stool and Topsy + Turvy who all still sleep peacefully. Other than that, everyone else seems prepared to come with the group to be a part of whatever this encounter will entail. 

The Kuo Toa lead the party for about 5 minutes through narrow winding alleyways, making their way through the silent town of Sloobludop. You don’t see many other Kuo Toa, as it seems to be early, but eventually you come to a larger building that is located in the center of the town.

The Kuo Toa enter through a set of double doors, and as you follow, you come into a large room with a massive nine-foot-tall statue that sits in the middle of the room. 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 an overpowering stench of rotting shellfish. Shells, brightly colored stones, mushrooms, and rotting fish are piled at the statue’s feet and strung in garlands around its neck. There are a couple Kuo Toa milling around the statue, some chanting in prayer, or others giving offerings to the statue.

Out of another set of doors in the back of the room, Ploopploopeen slowly walks into the room followed by a younger looking Kuo Toa who holds a whip and a menacing looking staff. “Welcome to the shrine of the Sea Mother,” Ploopploopeen calls out as he approaches the party. ”This is my son Glooglugogg,” he continues indicating to the young Kuo Toa adjacent to him. “Glooglugogg will be helping you today with your mission as he has infiltrated the ranks of the Deep Father. Are you all ready? How was your rest?” He asks. 

Thodek looks up at the strange carving, "Um... Good enough I suppose. Anything in particular we should know before we get started?"

"It was good to have a proper place to rest. It has been awhile as you can imagine." Nicholas glances at his companions, "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Those of you who speaks undercommon. Glooglugogg begins to speak to Ploopploopeen. “Father! I still don’t understand our reasons for bringing outsiders into these matters. It are sacred to our people!” He says almost pleadingly. 

“Relax my son,” Ploopploopeen replies in undercommon. “We must flow with the wave of the goddesses vision.”

Plooploopeen then returns to common and addresses the entire party. “Glooglugogg has already alerted Bloppblippodd that I have prisoners for sacrifice. Soon she will send followers to retrieve you to take for her sacrifice. Once you have reached the shrine of the Deep Father, the ritual will most likely begin, and at some point I will make the first strike against Bloppblippodd signaling for you to draw your weapons and attack! Cutting the head of the cult from its roots once and for all!” Ploopploopeen finishes with a cry. “But for now, we wait. Any questions?”

Voyage shifts nervously. This was so far beyond anything she had experienced before. As a mariner, she had been taught that if you were confronted with a Kuo-Tua, you should kill it before it killed you, and now all this talk of Gods and Goddesses and different groups of worshippers. She sighs. "As long as whoever you expect us to deal with is fine with me. And as soon as this is over -- we get a guide, a ship, and safe passage across the Darklake, yes? No delays, no funny business?"

She grips her bottle nervously and looks to the others. "At least this will make a grand story in twenty years when we aren't so bloody terrified of...all this."

"This seems to be a standard HanBacca operation. Will false restraints be required?" Syvis enquires in her familiar monotone.

Syvis keeps a close eye on the reactions of both Ploopploopeen and Glooglugogg to her question.

Insight: 16

Thodek looks to Syvis, "I'm good to go, but what is a HanBacca operation? Some kind of surfacer talk?"

"A rather simple but effective tactic of deceit I learned while traveling with a scruffy group of nerf herders what seems like a long time ago now in a land that is quite far away," Syvis answers. "To elaborate: A stray nerf would occasionally be caught by a local band of barbarians or bandits. The herders would disguise themselves as friends and allies bringing another nerf as a gift. Once inside the encampment, the herders would shed their disguises and take their enemies by surprise, slaughtering the lot of them for daring to lay a hand on their sacred nerf." Finishing her matter-of-fact explanation, she turns to Ploopploopeen. "So. Restraints? Ropes loosely tied at the wrists so that they can be quickly and easily removed are very effective."

“Of course,” Ploopploopeen says. “You will have a guide to where you need at the end of all this.” He then pauses before answering  Syvis. “Yes, bonds will be required.” He then motions to Glooglugogg who moves back to the room behind the statue and a minute or two comes back with some reedy like rope. He hands it to Ploopploopeen who then passes it out to everyone in the party. “This should do the trick,” he says. “Light and flexible. We use it all the time around Sloobludop. They won’t suspect a thing.”

 Ploopploopeen seems to be honest, truly believing false restraints are required. (Let me know if that’s what you’re looking for)

(Now would be the time to make any last minute preparations before Bloppblippodd and her crew arrives.)

Both Glooglugogg and Ploopploopeen kneel down before the statue of the Sea Mother and begin to pray in hushed voiced with their heads bowed. 

(If there's time and ability to do so, Thodek will kneel down and pray, casting detect magic as a ritual.)