Uktar 6, 1372 DR (9:00 AM) Deep Wastes: Lake of Shadows

The next morning the party gets up and those who'd cast magic spells the previous day meditated, studied, or prayed, as appropriate. After a light breakfast, the party assembled on the shore of the lake in the chuul's lair. The temple was on an island about forty feet off shore.

"Ready?" asks Veracity. All nod. Igor, Kress, Yol all lift off, while Hazen turns himself invisible. Igor picks up Brianna, Kress picks up Veracity, and Yol picks up Tebryn. The party flies over and settles down next to the single building on the small island. The temple built of granite blocks, carved with images of fish, squids, and fish-like humanoids. It is in the form of a large cube, with a smaller cube attached to one corner. A single door, in the smaller cube, faces the cave on the shore. Two statues of kuo-toans with bulging eyes and wide mouths flank the door.

Igor examines the door carefully. "I think that mark there is a magical trap," he says.

Veracity examines it carefully. She nods and mutters, making an arcane gesture with a small crystal prism. "Indeed," she comments. "It's a glyph all right. Trigger this and you'll get cursed. Your robustness will be severely diminished."

"Well, let's just knock," says Igor.

Veracity backs away from the door.

"How about disarming the glyph, first?" suggests Yol.

"Let me do it!" says Hazen, coming forward, flexing his fingers. "I'm an expert at this."

"Fine," agrees Igor.

Hazen makes quick work of the glyph. "I wiped it right out," he says, as he backs away from the door and Igor steps up again.

Igor knocks on the door.

"Flghoof loo loogish!" says a voice from within the building.

Veracity sighs. "Kuo-toan, I imagine. Speak to it in Undercommon, Igor, so we can all understand your conversation."

"I can't," says Igor.

Brianna comes up, sings, and touches him. "I grant you the gift of tongues, Igor." Igor smiles, and knocks again.

"What do you want?" says the voice from within.

"We come in peace," says Igor. "We want information."

"Off with you," says the voice. "We have none to give."

"We just fed the kraken," says Igor.

"You did?" asks the voice. "You worship the kraken?"

"And we fed it," responds Igor.

"So you do not worship the kraken," says the voice.

"I said we fed it," protests Igor. "Why else would we have fed it?"

"What did you feed it?" asks the voice.

"Giants!" says Igor.

"Oh, that is not good," says the voice disapprovingly. "The giants are our friends."

"Well, the kraken seemed happy," says Igor.

"He is not a merciful master," says the voice.

"We won't make that mistake again," promises Igor. He turns to his own party and addresses them in Common. "What are we looking for?"

"Ask if we can come in and admire the temple," suggests Hazen. Igor turns and relays the request to the voice.

"Prove to me that you worship the kraken," says the voice. "Who is manifested in the kraken?"

Igor turns and raises his eyebrows.

"Blibdoolpoolp," says Veracity.

Igor turns back to the door. "Blibdoolploo"

"Begone, imposter," says the voice.

"Teach us!" says Hazen. "We seek to know!"

"OK," says Igor. "Teach us. We seek to know."

There is no response.

"Say we want an alliance!" says Hazen.

"My party wants an alliance," says Igor.

There is no response.

Veracity smiles. "Let's break in!"

Igor frowns at her. "I don't see the point."

Veracity raises her hand. "Everybody who wants to break in and have fun, raise your hand!" Everybody but Igor raises their hand. Igor sighs.

Veracity pulls out her godstone, invokes one of its powers, and stows it. She then walks up to the door.

"Isn't this a needless digression from your quest?" asks Igor.

"Needless?" says Veracity. "Yes and no. My quest is in Maerimydra, but why not cause some needless suffering on the way there? Wouldn't my goddess approve of that?"

"I don't see the point," repeats Igor. He steps to the side, shaking his head.

Veracity looks back at Kress and raises an eyebrow. Kress comes up and stands next to her. "Now, don't attack them first," says the warrior.

"Of course not," says Veracity, drawing her weapons. "But, just in case..."

Igor sighs and moves to the back of the group, shaking his head dourly. He pointedly does not draw his weapon.

Yol mutters and wiggles her fingers. Suddenly, there seem to be six Yols clustered in a group. Kress applies his shoulder to the door and shoves his way in. As soon as the door opens, as Kress stumbles into the room, a kuo-toan steps forward and punches him in the forehead. Brianna starts to sing a rousing song. Veracity steps up and strikes the fish-man with the Sword of Kas. Igor glowers. Hazen draws his weapons, and Tebryn yawns.

The door leads into a small room with a door opposite. There is a large statue of another fish-like humanoid, but much more wicked than the statues of the normal kuo-toans flanking the door. It holds a staff with a claw-like attachment on the end.