Chapter 2: Into Darkness

The fish cocks his head at you. Sarith very quickly says some things in Undercommon to him, bringing a chortle to the pacifist's lips. He fires off rapidly in Undercommon.

Sarith smiles and translates for the group. Fishface says he's strange. These kuo-toa aren't pacifists but are good. If we can slaughter the remaining guard, they may free us.

As your conversation progresses, the fish guarding you seethe at seeing their monitor brought low so quickly. They look about themselves, nod, and then throw themselves at the newcomers. In short order, there is a throng of fighting kuo-toa, and for you it is nearly impossible to tell which side is which. The only one you can really keep track of is the one in white robes, though they are now flecked with black blood. His scepter whips quickly here and there, caving in heads and clearing a path.

We're going to use a lightly modified combat structure for this. The bulk of the fight is the 20 or so of your guard fighting the 12 or 13 of the newcomers. Francis is bound still, as is Dustin. You can choose to enter combat (the captors strangely left you with all of your gear, you don't know why) or you can sit and watch what happens with the fish.

Even with the throng of people, you can make out some relationships, mainly by who is attacking and who is protecting the fish in white. But as they shift, out of the moment you can't make out which one is which. In this dim light, without colorations, it's hard to tell beyond when they are directly acting.

As Fang takes a second look, the battle suddenly comes into crystal clear focus. Fang, you can now pretty easily track which fish are which, and can choose to help or hinder as you see fit.

Everyone else (below a perception result of 20+), the previous description is all you can make out.

Yes, the groups are still mixed. AOE spells aren't specifically a bad idea, but you would end up hitting some "friendlies".

Your bite hits as another of the fishmen hits the same target. He falls in a pile of scales and viscera.

JimJar and Derendil coordinate and double team another Kua-Toa.

Jimjar stabs into a fish as Derendil swings wide in a rage. This one was weak from the earlier fight and he crumples under the deep gnome's blade.

As you all navigate the grand fishy melee, you notice something a bit strange. A bat and a spider, working in concert with one another, are attacking the bonds on Dustin. Dustin's bonds slip free of his wrists, yet your captors are too busy with their fight to notice. Also, as one of the seemingly good fish steps in front of White Robe to intercept a blow, and ripostes with his own spear, you see a bobbing mushroom head weave through the crowd. A flash of steel as Stool slashes his dagger across the back of the enemy monitor's leg, dropping the beast to his knees, his hamstring severed from Stool's sneak attack.