[LANAI] The Rod of Seven Parts: Into the Crucible

Rowan pipes in, his voice slightly annoyed. "Phud, just pick a direction and lead us past that damnable shrieking fungus. Then we can relight our lamp and figure out where we are going."

Phud : Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 1

Phud nods, looks at all the possibilities, makes a quick decision (which in Phud's case takes about 2.7 minutes) and heads in his chosen direction with the group in tow.

OOC: Phud heads forward (to the left on the map) and takes his first left (down on the map; the branch just before the 'T' on the left side of the map).

With Phud out front, the companions intrepidly trek forward a bit into the dark. Phud rounds the first corner he comes to and, heading south, soon finds himself inside the largest cave he's seen yet in this network of underground caverns. The ceiling in the cave reaches 60 feet at it's easternmost end but narrows to 20 feet in height at the western end where Phud and company currently stand. The floor is grossly uneven and littered with loose rock, making movement slow. The quality of the rock and stone in the cavern is such that both the floor and ceiling are free of stalagmites and stalactites. The walls and ceiling of the cavern are, like the spiral stair, shot through with thick veins of lustrous silver ore.

A dank patch of murky, silty water with a thin grey mist floating a few feet above the surface rests at the far end of the cavern. Beyond the pool stands an immense structure of rough, wet stone chiseled in the shape of a fishlike creature. Its eye sockets are empty, revealing darkness beyond. The slick surface of the open-mawed fish is dotted with patches of faintly phosphorescent moss, giving the entire structure a faint blue glow. A steep but wide stone stairway emerges from the murky pool and leads to the gaping mouth of the fish, where a set of wooden and iron-braced double doors rests, closed.

In the dim light of the large cavern, Rhys looks around, and not seeing any of the shrieking moss, re-lights his lantern. The sound of Rhy's flint scritching against the steel echoes in the chamber. A long canoe emerges from the mist and slowly drifts toward Phud. Crouched at the boat's stern is a silvery, froglike creature the size of a human holding a paddle in one hand and a shortspear in the other. 10 feet from the water's edge, the canoe stops and the creature looks in the party's direction. The ferryman silently watches the companions enter, waiting.

[sblock=Rowan]The ferryman is a kuo-toan. Rowan knows everything there ever is to know about kuo-toa warriors, kuo-toan cleric whips, their fish god, and their culture.[/sblock]

Phud : Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 1

Phud waves at the ferryman. "Hi!" Bird scrutinizes the creature in the canoe.

"Ahhh, yes," says Rowan as he sees the fish-like ferryman row toward them. "Kuo-Toans. That makes much more sense than calling them fishmen. It also means we best be on our guard. They can be quite dangerous." The halfling raises his hand to scratch his hairless chin as he ponders for a few moments. "Still, they may know something. And being greeted by a ferryman instead of a group of guards is a positive sign. Perhaps with the proper payment, we may get some answers from these folk."

The ferryman steadies his boat against some unseen force from below that ripples the pool of dank water. The kuo-toan eyes each member of the group, silently surveying their garb and accoutrement, but otherwise remains in his boat. When no one comes forward, the ferryman sits, seemingly content to wait.

Rowan steps forward, his walking stick clacking against the stone as he does so. He offers the ferryman a low bow. "I say, do you speak common my good man?"

The ferryman slowly rises from his seat in his boat and bows to Rowan in return. In one low hissing breath, the kuo-toan riddles in common, "I go on four legs in the bitter morn sun, two legs at bright noon, and three legs in the dark quiet of the evening." His riddle delivered, the ferryman quiets the rocking of his boat and waits.

Phud : Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 1

Phud listens to the creature talk and then shrugs. "Me grow old before me figures that out."

"Ha ha," laughs Rowan, slapping Phud on the thigh. Bowing again to the Kuo-Toan, Rowan smiles. "That is an age old riddle my friend, and one I am quite familiar with. You speak of aging, of course. A babe crawls on all fours, as you mature you walk on two, and finally, as old age sets in, you must use a cane to aid you."