Stool, the small myconid who escaped drow slavery with you, shuffles along quietly and sadly. "I thought I was home... Where do I go now?"
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"Yyy... es... I think so. Let's go back to the Sovereign and then get out of here!"
Stool cries out in the minds of the rest of those of you to whom he has bonded "No! Don't eat them!"
"That's Sovereign Phylo, the original leader of Neverlight Grove. The other big one over there is Sovereign Basidia. It came a while ago and Phylo welcomed it. They lead together." Stool explains. "I wonder what this exciting new event is?" When the myconids begin forming into circles, Stool grows exuberant. "It's time for the melding! We do this every day to share our thoughts. It's the best part of the day! But... why are they dancing? That's different..."
Indeed it doesn't take long for Cyrus to ferry everyone down on his lizard. You walk around a large lake deeper into the cavern and find a strange mushroom forest. Pale cream and beige stalks grow thick and tall, resembling a surface world forest. Fungi grow in profusion everywhere, and it’s hard to find anything resembling a path between them. The giant caps of zurkhwood mushrooms obscure your view of the cavern’s ceiling, but luminescent fungi there give off a shimmering aura. With each step taken on the soggy ground, a rank scent of decay rises around you.
A circular mound stands on the edge of this fungal forest. You see something moving and notice a tall myconid. Stool rushes forward "I'm home, I'm home!" There's a burst of spores in the air and soon you can hear the conversation. "Welcome home, Stool" a slow, cautious voice replies. The myconid turns to you. "And welcome, visitors."
"We should probably climb down to the floor..." Which won't be exactly easy. It's a rough wall that descends 80 feet down to the floor of the massive cavern.
"Well I don't think we normally go through that scary temple... it was just because of the tunnel collapse." Stool looks uncomfortably at Glabagool. "I'm sorry... it's just so hard for me to think of something as strange as an ooze being... alive..."
The massive dwarf helps the rest of the party members up through the hole in the ceiling. The flow decreases as the oozing temple fills with water and you are soon able to swim to the surface of the water. Soaked and shivering but unhurt, Stool informs you "This way toward Neverlight Grove. Home! Home! I'm almost home!" Stool leads you along for several more days until you reach a small tunnel that you can all pass through, though Kanzen, Galinndan, and Irdril have to duck. It seems to have been formed by an underground stream that dried up and is now dimly lit by fungi.
The myconid emotes negation. "No I've never been down h... h... here... I know the way once we get back to the tunnels though..."
The party leaves Gracklstugh significantly enriched but still loathing the idea of spending more time with the Gray Dwarves and their accursed, clanging machinery. You head out onto the Darklake and Stool begins steering you through its watery tunnels toward his home. "Oh this will be just wonderful! Wonderful!"
Stool thinks into the communal mind Ooh yes! Yes! Please! I just want to go home...
Stool hears you mention heading back to the surface and thinks sadly to you all "Oh... I hoped you were going to help me back home..."
Stool responds "Ok mister!" and emits a small puff of spores. You hear Droki laughing in his own head "They'll never find the egg or the obelisk anyway... they already passed those tunnels..."
At these words, Stool pipes up into your minds "Home! Home! Home! Can we please go there! I can give you presents and food and nice places to sleep and everything!"
Stool doesn't seem to listen much. He was my friend...
Stool has been very quiet and sad since the departure of his friend, Tiberius. He hasn't talked much but refreshes the rapport spores whenever he's asked to (they expire after 1 hr). He piped up briefly when Hemeth first came aboard I mean... we could go to Nev... nevermind... and sinks back into his nervous depression.
The small myconid looks at the dead fungi with disgust. We always have to watch out for these wild, mindless things. He pitches into helping with the raft with eagerness, carrying small pieces of zurkwood in his pseudopods.
"That's right! He always was just a bully! I don't know what he's saying but I can tell from his face! Oh, and will you help me over?"
Unable to keep up on his short legs, Stool thinks to Tiberius. Will you carry me? I'm small and I can tell you where to go when it gets dark!
Stool alerts those around him It's ok. The Drow got the last one...
Stool speaks into Tiberius' head There are a bunch of creepers over there! If you step over there, you'll be right in front of all of them.
Cyrus:
You find yourself in the armory. Hanging on the walls around you, you see 6 chain shirts 6 suits of studded leather armor 6 shields 6 hand crossbows 20 cases of hand crossbow bolts, each case containing 20 bolts 6 shortswords and 10 daggers 6 bags of caltrops (20 caltrops per bag) 4 100-foot-long coils of silk rope 2 building hammers (not usable as weapons) 2 bags of iron spikes (10 spikes per bag) There is a rough cloth sack in the corner that could hold 30 pounds of gear.
The sprout replies into Tiberius' mind. Yes I can see fine. There's something scary in the middle of the pool. The rest are heading that way! No to your right! There you go! Careful! It takes a little while but Tiberius catches up with the other prisoners.
Galenus leads the charge blindly toward a tunnel, the other prisoners following him.
Stool nods silently at Tiberius and holds on tightly around Tiberius' waist as he begins climbing down. But Tiberius finds the wet rock hard to climb down.
But the dragon man's great strength manages to hold onto the rock. He can barely see the other prisoners go sailing overhead as they jump nimbly past the spider webs and splash into the pool. Even the orc seems to come to in time and jumps out after the rest. Tiberius makes it down to the bottom and stands near the edge of the pool. Then a strange and unfamiliar voice speaks into all your minds. Flesh for the faceless lord! Those with darkvision:
The center of the pool raises up in an amorphous blob that begins moving toward you. There are three passages leading out of this cavern to the north, the west, and the south.
Stool releases a cloud of spores 20 feet across. All three gnomes cough and yell in surprise. The Kua-Toa calmly inhales.
Stool looks questioningly at Tiberius.
To everyone who is startled, a frightened voice rings in their heads. I'm sorry! I was just trying to help! The small myconid hides behind Tiberius' legs.
Ok! Should I get anyone else? Stool the fungus waddles over to Cyrus and puffs a fine white cloud of spores out. Cyrus inhales some then hears in his head the voice of the fungus. Hi there! The big dragon-guy told me to give you some of my spores.
The myconid speaks to Eddrikk, Tiberius and Derendil also hearing it. Sor... Sorry if I'm scaring you. I don't mean to.
Tiberius: I don't know... I've never really tried...
Tiberius: Yes, I guess I can do that. Thank you for thinking so. Most people don't seem to like me. he says miserably. The mushroom moves along as quickly as it can, imitating Tiberius by using fur as makeshift gloves with which to hold the filth. How long will they keep us here?
Tiberius: The small fungus turns its head up toward Tiberius and releases a small puff of spores. Tiberius can't help but inhale some of them by accident. Then he hears a small voice in his head. Thank you. I'm scared.
The small mushroom fellow attempts to help clear out the Quaggoth den, holding as much of the filth as he can at a time. His chains make it more difficult, however, and he stumbles in the middle of the path. |