Chapter 3: The Darklake

Plopp chuckles a bit. Yes, we have several doses of the poison. You will have it within the hour. As for javelins, we don't have them as you'd be use to. But they are similar. Really just a reed with a sharpened piece of shell on it. You are welcome to the potions as you see fit. In about thirty minutes, we'll make our move. With that, he turns over a simple hourglass on a small shelf. The grains of sand plink their way through the fine glass bulbs, marking time.

About half-way through the sand's journey, a pair of kuo-toa come through the door with an armload of weapons and gear. They lay them out on the cot for you to look through.

There are 3 healing potions, 1 potion of hill giant strength (makes your strength 21 for an hour), a dozen or so vials of glowfish poison, and 6 fishy javelins.

She is as I am. A strong archpriestess in her own right. She has access to divine magics and will use them aggressively. Ploop says. As he goes about his short speech, a new fish bursts through the doorway. He rapidly speaks in Undercommon.

Ploop waves his hand at the kuo-toa. My son, I must go with the flow of the currents of the goddess's visions.

With a seemingly hostile glare, the newcomer storms from the room.

Please forgive my son, Glooghugogg. He is loyal, but brash. As many young supplicants are! When we enact our plan, you must wait for my signal to take action! Sooner than that, and they will clearly suspect something is a-fin and we will lose all hope of winning. Ah! Our escort arrives! he says, as he glances about, ensuring none of the accouterments of his plan lie visible. With a silent nod, he gestures to a simple closet at the side of the room. Jimjar and Stool cram together inside and the door clicks shut softly as a monitor walks in.

Welcome, welcome. I, my whip outside, and these prisoners will accompany me to see the archpriest of the Deep Father.

They nod and you all exit the small home, greeted by twin ranks of six kuo-toa each. The flank you, with the monitor leading the way and the final two preventing you from falling behind. After a relatively short walk, you find yourselves at what must surely be the altar of the Deep Father. This idol to Leemooggoogoon consists of a large hide cut roughly in the shape of a manta ray and stretched out on cords between two support poles. A dead, splayed out manta ray is pinned to the center of the hide. Two dead octopuses are draped across the top, their tentacles pinned and artfully arrayed, their heads tied together and painted with red and blue pigments. The idol reeks of decay and the broad stone altar below the idol is stained dark with blood. There are six kuo-toa working there, cleaning up and arranging offerings. Another one, similarly clad to Ploop's son, stands in front of the altar with two of the monitors.

Ploop steps forward across the span of the altar toward the kuo-toa waiting there. After a brief pause, he begins to speak. As he speaks, you are keenly aware that where before you could understand him, that magic seems to have faded as you made your way here. Ploop gestures toward all of you, standing within a circle of guards behind him.After a moment, the other kuo-toa with a scepter and scraggled robes opens her mouth and speaks.The surrounding kuo-toa send up a burbling cheer as their fists shoot into the air, pumping madly.

As you look around, you see a bruised and bedraggled duergar who is bound being marched into a depression by the altar. The kuo-toa that brought you to this altar, as well as the handful of supplicants that were already here, begin parading around the altar in a wide circle, chanting. They splash in the edges of the Darklake itself. Very quickly, as no one is hostile toward one another, you lose track of those you thought friends and those you though enemies. The lone exception to this is that you see Ploop and his son making their way toward the altar of the Deep Father. His daughter holds her scepter aloft and makes a gesture. Several of the kuo-toa peel off, and make their way towards you, spears out. They firmly prod you all towards the depression where the duergar is. You can see a grate in the middle and can hear the lapping of water underneath. The chanting grows louder.

As you all reach the depression, Blopp, gestures wildly to her altar. As she does this, Ploop surges forward, clubbing his own daughter in the head with his scepter! The guards are in shock as new kuo-toa dart into the fray from alleys and passages near to the altar.

COMBAT! Surprise round time! The attack has taken them by surprise, you get to act first!

This one will be much closer to that last combat we did. Less specific tracking and more free-form action.

Bildaweer's missiles streak out, slamming into the daughter, dealing a good chunk of damage.

Your bolt slams home, injuring the priestess. You see her shake off the poison however.

Sarith tries to one up Dustin and fires upon the priestess as well while Everett fires at one of the Priestess guards.

One of the fish you assume are Deep Father worshipers are hit with a ball of fire. He shrieks and his flesh is singed by the glaring heat. Sarith's bolts both whiz by everyone, splashing harmlessly in the lake beyond.Just waiting (may be a bit) on Cemos' action. After that, it'll be the initiative block (which I haven't rolled just yet).

Give me a Derendil perception check please as well as a D100 roll.