The old woman looks and says, "Peews dna riah ym hsurb... dna pom."
Chipluck
The old woman says and is clearly getting angrier, "Ereht pu loop eht morf hsif eht thguac tub hsif eht hsif eriuqca ton did I, rial! rouf won!" and pointing at the direction you have arrived from most likely alluding to the warm pool to the north.
".sruoy s'ti naem t'nseod llits hsif eht koot uoy taht tcaf ehT"
The old woman says, "skorw gnihsif woh si tahT .enim sti dna hsif eht thguac I.soed ti sey."
She then snaps her thumb between her pointer finger making a loud Click
GM Rolls
Turning Orvan into a cactus inside a pot.
She then says, "roolf ym peews dna raih ym hsurb uoy refta kcab mih nurt ll'I."
With a gasp Nabila drops to her knees and proceeds to bow so deep her forehead rests on the floor. "A thousand apologies, jida! We forget our place!"
She may be unsure of the meaning behind the conversation, but few beings were capable of altering reality so strongly with so little effort. She hisses at the beggar, "What did you do? The foreigner took an example from you! Whatever she wants, give it to her!"
The old woman says, "luftghiled. siedal enif eht ekil kool ot tnaw I."
Maudril and Chipluck finish the chores and then as promised the old woman snaps her fingers and turn Orvan back into himself.
She then says, "sidneffe, uoy knaht!hsif eht ekat."
Nura looks at the old woman suspiciously, but approaches and takes the fish from her with an air of reverence and respect.
If plants could talk, this one would be shouting.
Seeing the wizard returned to normal, Nabila breathes a sigh of relief and rushes to his side to examine him. "Are you alright? Do you know where you are and what happened?"
Fadilah opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, then just shuts it with an audible click.
"I will live, apparently." says Orven with obvious anger in his voice.
The fish says, "Please return me to the sea. I was not able to decipher her language. Blin!"
Nura is obviously caught by surprise by this latest turn of events. She stands, transfixed, for a moment, waiting for the fish to answer Chipluck's question.
Nabila's head snaps about and she stares transfixed at the fish. "I...it...they were right, I have gone mad!" She shakes her head and blinks.
"No. You all heard that too," she laughs and shrugs. "I need a nap. Perhaps one of these pipes leads out to sea? I don't think we could keep it alive if we had to climb back out and walk."
She says, "Look I am choking here and very weak but I am a Pahari. I came in through the pipe to the north at the warm pool."
Nabila laughs. "One would eat the fish, the other sought to return it home. The fish wishes to go home. Surely given the choice you would not wish to be eaten, Chipluck?"
"Let's get it to safety first, then maybe we can learn the tale in full." She smiles at the beggar then begins walking back to the warm pool.
Chipluck
"Stranger and stranger," muses Fadilah. "Still, I am disinclined to spend more time down here in the company of a woman who turns people into cacti! Why risk it?"
You go into the tunnel from the hot pool and wade through the warm water. After 20 feet the tunnel takes a 90 degree turn to the right and continues forward. The tunnel opens here into an 8-foot-wide cylindrical tube, filled with only 3 feet of cool water. This is actually a large copper tube, and after about 50 additional feet you can see through the 1 foot by 3 foot hole in the side of the tube.
"How very strange! Why would someone lay a huge copper tube like this? Is it part of the old bath house? But so enormous... there seems little need for a tube of this size," says Fadilah wonderingly. She briefly touches the tube with her fingertips to ascertain if it is cool or warm and feel the texture.
"I have seen such devices in the homes of rich merchants before, but never one up close." says Orven as he moves to inspect the piping.
"It's eight feet wide! Who needs to move that much water? I know this leads to a bath house but even those only need to fill the baths occasionally and don't need to move that much water that frequently," says Fadilah. "It defies my sensibilities."
"Exceellent. Now our Elven friend can finally get presentable. Can we find an exit to the street from here?"
Hearing Orven's words, but failing to realize he was referring to the beggar, Nabila's eyes widen. She surreptitiously sneaks a sniff for body odor and fusses with her hair.
"Any guess which way, fish?" Nabila asks, still fidgeting with her hair. "They would want the big pipe to bring water from the sea, yes? So that should be the right way, but we do not want to drown..."
The fish says, "Elf, I swam through that tunnel in front but that hole could be another way out..."
The fish says, "Not right now, the way a fish swims is different than a humanoid. Once you rescue me, I will be able to help you with that to some degree or another. I want to return the sea."
"Let's try a little further. It would do no one any good if we got stuck in that little thing."
"Agreed." Fadilah keeps an eye behind to make sure nobody is following them.