⚖️97. pound of flesh

session 97 • december 03 2023 • words

🌑 DAY 29 • 📅 MARPENOTH 19

What It Means To Be Sorry

Soren, deeming the "ooze cocaine" plant to be safe for use and also successful in granting water-breathing to the user, asks Bebop for more.

Bebop informs us that he only had the one stalk LMAO. The party disperses to look for more plants.

Repentance

While we search, Nezznar approaches Hugh and demands to know what Hugh and Soren were talking about the other day, when Hugh offered his flail to Soren.

Hugh explains he was apologizing for the act of hitting Soren, and that he was giving Soren the chance to "get even".

Expiation

Nezznar then goes to Will, starting off strong with "well, you're soft, aren't you??" Will wonders in what way; Nezznar says "every way" LMAO. Will does not disagree.

Nezznar demands to know how to properly apologize to someone, but vehemently denies and shuts down any of Will's questions about whether Nezznar intends to apologize to someone.

Will explains that the apology needs to be heartfelt and sincere--made with the victim's comfort and closure in mind, rather than to "make yourself feel better". Will notes that "empty apologies" don't mean anything, and that "you might not be forgiven."

When Will once again presses to know why Nezznar is asking this, Nezznar gets annoyed, insults Will, and leaves.

Reparation

Nezznar scuttles over to Diana, who is VERY uncomfortable talking to Nezznar.

He asks the same question--how does one apologize? Diana notes that if it was a mistake on Nezznar's part, then he should maybe give the victim a gift and wait a few days. When Diana wonders if it's Soren that Nezznar wants to apologize to, Nezznar once again flares up and denies it.

Diana notes that she has never ever hurt anyone--people are gifted by her presence.

Sorry.

Eventually, Nezznar meanders over to Soren, who has his arms full of "ooze cocaine stalks". Sildar is with him.

[Soren has been increasingly cold to Nezznar following the events of the past few days (the "do you think I wanted you, a dog?" Hellish Rebuke fight, the realization that Nezznar once hunted in the Stenchstreets, the reminder that Nezznar used to make Soren poison-test for him).]

Soren tells Nezznar cordially but coldly that he's already searched this area of the island, and that Nezznar should go search elsewhere.

Nezznar, however, demands to speak to Soren alone--without Sildar. Sildar laughs at the ridiculousness of leaving Soren alone with Nezznar, but to his surprise, Soren agrees to speak to Nezznar for five minutes away from the party.

When they are a good distance away, Nezznar pulls out his whip. Soren immediately goes on the defensive, conjuring an eldritch blast in his hand. Nezznar tells him to calm down and that he isn't using it on him, but rather, implies that he wants Soren to use it on him. Shocked and disbelieving, Soren calls this entire thing a sick joke.

Nezznar insists on handing the whip to Soren, and then turns his back to Soren. When Soren hesitates in disbelief, Nezznar snaps "don't make a fool of me" and to do it quickly. He explains that this is his way of "doing an apology", balking at the idea of actually saying "I apologize" or "I'm sorry".

Soren begins to get angry--"you think this will change anything? You'd patronize me like this, like a few lashes will erase years of torment and reclaim all I have lost?"

Nezznar notes that it is a start, a "gift to help us get even", echoing what the surfacers had advised him earlier.

To Be More

Soren seriously considers this, and takes the same stance Nezznar takes when he whips his slaves, though Soren's hands are shaking. He begins to circle Nezznar, much like Nezznar used to do to him during punishment. Finally, Soren throws down the whip and declares: "I could take this whip to your back, force you to feel a fragment of what I have endured, but that would be playing by their rules. I am done playing their games. We were both made fools by our queen."

He crouches down in front of Nezznar to meet him eye to eye, and emotionally remarks that, "I have no need for your fear nor your pain; just for you to stand by me when I need. Let's try and be more than what they tried to make us."--before hugging Nezznar tightly.

Unseen to the rest of the party, Soren whispers something to Nezznar.

When they pull away from the hug, Soren offers the whip back to Nezznar, who solemnly takes it. Soren admits that he is surprised that Nezznar would be capable of such reflection, and Nezznar explains that the party told him to do this exactly, having misunderstood their explanations of "apologies" to him.

Soren seems amused. Sheepishly, Nezznar admits that he hasn't obtained a water-breathing plant yet; Soren offers to help him find one.

A Hero

Soren and Nezznar return to the party, who saw them hug and are very curious about what happened. When Soren briefly explains it--taking care to preserve Nezznar's pride--Will chides Nezznar for "why didn't you just say you wanted to apologize?" Nezznar bristles at this.

We dive into the rockpool, eventually emerging into a huge underwater cavern, where the entrance to a buried temple gapes open. Bebop declares that he will wait at the entrance for us and will not go through the temple with us.

Soren, however, successfully convinces Bebop to risk his life and follow us, noting how he would be lauded as a hero who successfully carried out the will of the Sea Mother, which seems to resonate with Bebop.

Diana pulls Soren aside and inquires why he did that--Soren wryly notes that it wouldn't hurt to have Bebop as a meatshield.

Eel Hounds

As we enter the temple, we notice a patrol of kuo-toa with their eel hounds, pacing the hallway.

Hugh urges Will to shoot them while we have the element of surprise, but Will hesitates, worried that they might not be hostile. Reluctantly, at the urging of the party, he tries to shoot but misses, beginning combat.

Though underwater combat is difficult to get used to--with Nezznar flipping upside down and floating to the ceiling by mistake LMAOO--we eventually make short work of the kuo-toa and eel hounds, though one manages to escape.

What Needs To Be Done

We give chase, only to find the escaped kuo-toa huddled in a corner, fearful of us.

Soren gently urges him to come out of his hiding place and speak to us, promising him safety. Eventually, he is calmed enough to emerge.

Will asks him if he is a follower of the Deep Father; he says yes, and explains that he follows the Deep Father because he makes them stronger and gives them the ability to "get back at the bearded evils and the spider evils"--implying that the kuo-toa are amassing power to eventually attack Gracklestugh (the duergar city) and Menzoberranzan (the drow city).

Soren asks if the kuo-toa was the one who partook in the killing of the Sea Mother representatives that went missing--the ones that Plooploopeen asked us to investigate. The kuo-toa fearfully expresses that while, yes, he is part of the faction that killed them, he himself is new and didn't partake in the attack.

Soren acknowledges this, and swiftly executes the kuo-toa.

The party is shaken by the kill, but Soren points out that this is their mission--why they were sent down here in the first place, and that the kuo-toa in question was worshipping an evil, destructive deity. The party does not argue with this logic.

Will checks the kuo-toa body over to see if it has any loot. It does not.

Hugh expresses discontent over Will's earlier hesitation to shoot, and demands that he give his bow to Droop. Will, of course, denies this--Droop big sad wet eyes.

Soren seems thoughtful after hearing about the kuo-toa's declaration of war against Menzoberranzan. He points out that there have seemingly been strange things happening in the Underdark since the start of their adventure (the oblex scared out of its habitat, the crazed gnolls hunting a bulette, the kuo-toa hunting a roper on the surface).

He expresses that he would like to have a chat with the leaders of the Deep Father faction, about their plans regarding Menzoberranzan.