4 January 2019

The Destruction of Sloodublop

Our adventurers begin in Sloodublop having rested after the tasty fish soup of Gloogluglog, son of Plooploopeen. All adventurers are in Plooploopeen's house chillin, except Bree who is outside around the empty Sea Mother's statue. Bree decides to wander over to the gated entrance to the village. When there she sees a single male dwarf-like creature being led in by a returning patrol. He looks a little beaten up, not horribly wounded, but he is being held in the custody of some Kuo-toa. Bree heads back to the house of Plooploopeen and informs her fellow adventurers what she has seen.

Jimjar and Eldeth confirm to Bree that this is indeed a grey dwarf that she has seen and Plooploopeen confirms that this grey dwarf is likely being taken to be sacrificed by Blipbloppod to the deep father God. Plooploopeen hatches a plan to trick Blipbloppod into losing her followers by disclosing her God of the deep father to be a fraud. His plan is to bring our adventurers into her quarry as sacrificial tokens, where the adventurers can then break out, start a fight, and he can deal with Blipbloppod his own daughter, which he understands may even result in more bloodshed. The adventurers are not convinced of this plan and set out on a reconnaissance mission to gather more information.

Ezri transforms into a rat, Kais transforms into an old Kuo-toa male, and Bree casts a ritual to understand the Kuo-toa language. Then all three of them set out to gather more information. They first stop at the docks where there are fewer ships than normal, but nothing else out of the ordinary. They then visit the temple of the Deep Father God. It features a disgusting stinking altar built for humanoid sacrifice. Kais and Bree discover the mud hut where the dwarf is being held by being awkward, and Ezri goes in to investigate in rat form. Before being discovered and chased out Ezri smells the dwarf inside and is able to tell that he is slightly injured, bleeding a bit and under heavy guard.

The three then head back to the Sea Mother temple where Kais and Bree talk with a couple of guards. They learn that more and more Kuo-toa are having strange dreams about a big thing, probably some kind of leviathan monster, that haunts them in their dreams. Also, that the people of the village have been catch less fish recently. Fish stocks are down. The adventurers return to the house of Plooploopeen with this new information.

After further discussion our adventurers agree to Plooploopeen's plan to trick Blipbloppod. The group wants to try and rescue the grey dwarf if at all possible. At news of their agreeing Plooploopeen bows in front of each of them and kisses their feet, then warns them to stay away from the water during the ceremony. The entire group including Plooploopeen then heads to the temple of the Deep Father.

Once arriving the group sees Blipbloppod and many other followers of the Deep Father God preparing to sacrifice the grey dwarf. The whole village of 500 Koa-toa has shown up to witness this, mostly evenly divided between the two Gods. Plooploopeen approaches Blipbloppod and promises our adventurers as sacrifices, but says they need to keep their weapons. Blipbloppod is pleased with this and appears to buy into the lie. The Kuo-toa start to circle in preparation for the sacrifice, like fish schooling in the open sea. Derendil and Autun being tall, notice that some kuo-toa at the water's edge start to disappear into the surf, dragged down by something.

Plooploopeen strikes at Blipbloppod with his staff, missing and causing Blipbloppod to stumble backwards. Eldeth is then first among the party to join in the attack, angry that Blipbloppod planned to sacrifice a dwarf. Before much of any fighting can take place, the water begins to recede revealing the giant mantarays that have been feasting on the unlucky Kuo-toa near the water. At the same time all the Kuo-toa present experience one of three states; a third become terribly frightened and being prostrating in fear, a third go crazy and start attacking those nearest to them, and final third stay sane enough to start running away in abject fear. The grey dwarf deserts his captors and joins the adventurers, seeing that as his best chance. At this Bree gives him her dagger and hand crossbow.

A demigorgon appears out of the water headed straight for the village. Our adventurers all experience some negative force and many of them have an adverse reaction. Autun and Eldeth go stunned and cannot move, Ezri falls unconscious, Kais and Derendil go crazy and begin running in random directions. Bree, Jimjar, Shushar and Stool are the only members of the party not affected. Realizing that it's time to run, Bree projects an image of a beguiling Fey and charms Autun and Eldeth into following her. Jimjar grabs Kais and convinces him to head toward some boats for safety. Shushar and Bree grab Ezri together and also start running toward the boats. The grey dwarf follows as well.

Meanwhile the demigorgon continues its destruction of Sloodublop crashing and stepping on mud huts and Kuo-toa while continuously hurling its giant tentacles about sending anything in their path flying through the air. One unfortunate tentacle pass catches our running and stumbling adventurers on their way to the boats. Stool, Eldeth and the grey dwarf are killed instantly, while Ezri and Bree take fatal damage. Autun is hit as well, but survives. Luckily Jimjar is able to save Ezri with a healing potion and Ezri, now awake, heals Bree so the two don't die.

Once the party is able to make it to the boat they quickly board it and make their way away from the pandemonium occurring behind them. They will have to make time later to mourn for the loss of Stool, Eldeth and Derendil.