"Ouh-kay."
Virml sits down on the top step.
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"I theem to remember there being thix or theben riddleth all told."
"Well, I know it was about twithe ath long ath what you've got there. A good man-thpan long."
"How many paper scraps are we need to collect, then? And what do we now?" "Oh! Oh! I remember how long the thcroll wath when I found ith.... If that'th any help?"
"Doth your crocodile bite?" asks Virml nervously looking at the big scaly reptile.
Virml moves forward into the room. "Ah thith mutht be the dicthinarium." he says looking around the space illuminated by Xavier's light.
"Wha ah you thaying? Thomeone is dithguith ath me?" Virml looks concerned. "And there'th monthterth? And you wanna leave me here?" He looks a bit faint at the idea.
"Oh." Virml pauses, and looks around. "Tho, um, how's thah going? An where did all thah wahder come from?"
Virml looks back at the cage. "I don even know who you ah."
Nodding he says: "Uh-huh."
"I agree with Hoo. This one is probably the real one." "'Pwababwe da weal one?'" repeats the toothless Virml looking confused at the bobbing halfling.
Still searching, Vozzik says, "Forgive my fellow Pathfinderth, Virml, they know not the pain we feel. My thympathieth. My name ith..." he grimaces briefly, then carefully shapes his mouth to pronounce "Vozzik." Once he feels he is safe Virml tells his tale. "One minue I wath readin a ssroll I foun, and tha neth it wath all rippeh ta threads an flyin all aroun like a tornahdah and theigh wath thith foth talkin ta me about riddleth an a conteth or somethin tha happeneh a long time ago. He wath tho interethin tha it fel like I had ta follow him. We wandereh aroun tha baithmen here. He wah lookin for sumthin. Bookth on riddleth, and the Firth Worlh an sutch. He goh mad whe he didn't fin any bookth about himself, an wath alwayth talkin about how he wath cheated ow of sumthin. Theh we got to thith room, and he read one of the ssroll fragmenth an poof--the nissie an her daughterth appeared. I wanted to go wiff him, but he took hith bookth an leff. Tha neth thing I know I'm loche up, and wet, an my teef are all gon." he says miserably.
"Outside Virml! Fake!" Taking what he guesses is Hoo's advice, Virml begins looking for an exit.
"Who-who awe you?" asks the toothless Virml, as if seeing the party for the first time.
The magical healing seals Virml's bleeding gums, and improves his general greenish pallor a bit. After a moment, he looks around, and speaks. "Thwang goodbehs you are heay, who-ebbah you are." he burbles though his ruined mouth. "Ah, it was howwahbhul, simpwee howwahbhul."
The display cage's lock yields easily enough to the ifrit. Boomer quickly tries to open the cage. "Le..l...let me get you out of there! Tell me wha..wha... t happened." The unconscious occupant remains tight lipped, even though all of his teeth teem to be missing.
"Hey! Who turned of the lighth?"
"By all tha goths! Look ah tha thithe of tha fith!" exclaims Virml.
"Thas him! Tha foth!" shouts the toothless Virml pointing.
Virml recoils from Deluge screaming "DON'D HURD ME! I'M A NONCOMBADAND!" The toothless man bangs his head into the wall knocking himself nearly senseless , and then just sits on the floor babbling to himself before seeming to sober up. "Whad happened?"
Virml screams before throwing himself upon Deluge.
With both hands Virml grabs up one of the few remaining clay ink pots, and breaks it over his own head.
Bernard fires an arrow (backwards) at Virml who shouts "BABOON!" in response.
"ITH THE FOTH!" shouts Virml pointing to the once-dean.
Bernard nods at Hannar, "Indeed. Hey Virml, do you know our captain here?" hoping the pathfinder would have some memories of dealing with Shaine. "Um thure. That'th the Mather of Throllth, Dean Quitin Thane." says Virml, dispirited by Shaine's reaction to his presence.
"HEYB!" protests Virml.
"Ub. Should aye be here?" asks a nervous Virml. "I mean, if things are goin ta get dangerous an all...." says the initiate from the bottom of the stairs.
"Whas makin all tha wagher?" asks Virml.
Pau successfully slams the door shut against the water but not he thinks before flooding the lower shelves. The party decides to return to the main floor of the building. Reaching the stair they find it a noisy splashing waterfall. "Who are you peoble again?" asks Virml.
Figuring out the display's lock is no problem for Kolris. "One minue I wath readin a ssroll I foun, and tha neth it wath all rippeh ta threads an flyin all aroun like a tornahdah and theigh wath thith foth talkin ta me about riddleth an a conteth or somethin tha happeneh a long time ago. He wath tho interethin tha it fel like I had ta follow him. We wandereh aroun tha baithmen here. He wah lookin for sumthin. Bookth on riddleth, and the Firth Worlh an sutch. He goh mad whe he didn't fin any bookth about himself, an wath alwayth talkin about how he wath cheated ow of sumthin. Theh we got to thith room, and he read one of the ssroll fragmenth an poof--the nissie an her daughterth appeared. I wanted to go wiff him but he took hith bookth an leff. Tha neth thing I know I'm loche up, and wet, an my teef are all gon." he says miserably.
"Thwang goodbehs you are heay, who-ebbah you are." burbles the familiar-looking anemic man though his ruined, toothless mouth. "Ah it was howwahbhul, simpwee howwahbhul."
After about a minute Virml starts hyperventilating. "Ah!"
"Why'd they do thad? Whad will we do now?" says Virml sounding a bit panicky.
Yangrit gasps as she is towed along behind Deluge in the rush of water, accidentally inhaling the disgusting water. Coughing roughly, she struggles to clear her lungs.
"WAY FOWR MEEE!" cries Virml struggling through the deep water.
Deluge sits back and watches the show for a bit, figuring his new body not much use in the situation, but when he sees Yangrit make such a mess of it he rolls his reptilian eyes and gives it a try. He climbs up and bites the bottom of the cage and dangles there like a limp garment bag on a hanger.
Bernard is finally able to disengage the decorative bird cage's lock. "Oh thang goodneth!" Virml piles out, along with a number of stuffed birds floating on their sides.
"Yeth, buth...." Virml says looking sadly out from inside the golden cage.
"I think I would wemembah someone wiff a pet awogator."
@GM: So, before we go down the wrong rabbit hole, what's a "foth"? "You know a 'foth.' With pointy eareth an a buthhy tail." Virml tries miming it. "They thometimeth dig in ta rabbih holeth."
"'Quathy bahr?' You mea tha nissie. Iou know. One minue I wath readin' a ssroll I foun, and tha neth it wath all rippeh ta threads an flyin' all about like a tornahdah and theigh wath thith foth talkin' ta me about riddleth an a conteth or somethin' ta do with stuff tha happeneh a long time ago. He wath tho interethin tha it fel like I had ta follow him. We wandereh aroun tha baithmen' here. He wah lookin' for sumthin. Bookth on riddleth, and the Firth Worlh an sutch. He goh mad whe he didn't fin any bookth about himself, an wath alwayth talkin' about how he wath cheated out of sumthin. Theh we got to thith room, and he read one of the ssroll fragmenth an poof the nissie an her daughterth appeared. I wanted to go wiff him but he took hith bookth an leff. Tha neth thing I know I'm loche up, and wet, an my teef are all gon, an I'm bein' electrocooted. Seriouthly though, dush yewer alligator bigh? I don feel fery well." explains Virml. "Sathay, who ah you any way?"
The alligator mimes out its thought processes. The man in the cell finally looks up. "Thwang goodbehs you are heay, who-ebbah you are." burbles the man though his ruined, toothless mouth. "Ah it was howwahbhul, simpwee howwahbhul. Dush yewer alligayah bigh?"
....
Yangrit can't tell how bad off he is, but he looks pretty bad.... and vaguely familiar. Yangrit knows she's looked up into those nostrils before.
"Well, I didn't get a good look at his ears, but he certainly did nae have any head ridges, if that's any help."
"The flood grabbed me up immediately. I only just got the impression that he was of noble mean, but he had strong angular features, and that horizon-seeking gaze that marks a man of real quality, but beyond that well... I didn't really get a good look."
Virml sheepishly produces a dripping fragment of damp parchment. "This was a part of the longer scroll of riddles entitled The Name of the Fox. I managed to save it when it blew apart."
“I…I merely picked up a wee scroll, read part of it aloud for fun—some kind of riddle about birds and fish? And then it flew to bits in my hand, and I caught the quickest glimpse of a distinguished-looking man…and then ker-sploosh! I washed out here.”
Virml sheepishly produces a dripping fragment of damp parchment. "This was a part of the longer scroll of riddles entitled The Name of the Fox. I managed to save it when it blew apart."
Once back, Virml hopelessly relates what happened under Shaine's stare. “I…I merely picked up a wee scroll, read part of it aloud for fun—some kind of riddle about birds, and fish? And then it flew to bits in my hand, and I caught the quickest glimpse of a handsome, distinguished-looking man…and then ker-sploosh! I washed out here.”
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