Chapter 4: The Waters of Menehune

"Probably the right way. Seems bad enough." He follows.

The smell gets stronger and more foul as the party continues left. The stench of feces combines with the smell of rotting fish and briny water.

Soon the five investigators come to a four way intersection. The smell's source clearly emits from the passage to the left. A look in that direction reveals a cave that turns out of sight. Before it does, a faintly glowing slimy-looking hunk of seaweed and moss can be seen shifting around blocking the entrance of another tunnel passage. It nearly completely fills and blocks the passage, almost like a living guard.

To the left of the party a cave opening sends some light into the intersection. The light is similar to the mystical glow of the tunnel walls but seems that it would be brighter within the that cave.

There is nothing outstanding about the passage strait ahead. It continues on with the same faint light emitting from the walls as the tunnel everyone just walked down.

Perhaps this is helpful...

Admiral pauses at the intersection, his tail swishing left-right-left as he tries to decide which direction to go. The glimmer coming from the right is intriguing, but the seaweed is obviously protecting something… Making up his mind, he cautiously approaches the wall of seaweed and pokes it with his sword.

Regan moves to the seaweed as well, ready for it to be revealed as some sort of monsterous trap.

As always big Cordey is right up with Regan and Admiral although he doesn't lead. He leaves that to the captain types that are used to doing that.

He doesn't release his grip on his sweet's pendent and his cutlass. His hazel eyes are ever so watchful as he brushes away his black hair with a blue-green sheen showing well he is Half Sea Elf besides owning gills. He is exceptionally alert while here.

Admiral turns left and heads to the seaweed blocking the tunnel passage. Regan and Cordey follow closely. The smell in this cave is putrid. When Admiral pokes his sword into the slimy green hulk, dense green and black strands of tangled weeds respond and quickly and envelope his sword, grabbing it tightly.

By the pale tunnel wall light, Cordey and Regan notice a hole on the floor in the back of the cave. It is surrounded by and lined with feces that is littered with fish bones. It looks like the Sahuagin have been using it as their droppings hole. But there is also a rope secured to the floor that drops into the hole as well. it doesn't look like it has been moved or touched in a while, as it is also covered in feces. Perhaps the fey children used the hole for some other reason.

As Cordey steps close toward the tunnel guarded by the seaweed sentinel, his pendant whispers to him in a voice that sounds both like the tender whisper of Lelay's gentle tone and many distant ethereal voices. Together the voices say in a layered unison, "Yet in the heart of darkness, a spark of light, A clue to vanquish the hag's blight, For in her lair, where shadows dwell, A mirror holds the key to break her spell."

Admiral yelps in surprise as the seaweed wraps around Reaver and quickly tries to yank the blade free... to no avail. Scowling, he stops struggling and lets go of the hilt, surrendering Reaver to the seaweed. Just as the sword is about to be completely swallowed up by the writhing mass of seaweed, it suddenly vanishes, only to reappear in Admiral's hand a moment later. He sticks his tongue out at the seaweed petulantly.

"That is the meanest bunch of seaweed I have ever seen. Heard of such but seen them." He suggests, "Have any oil with us?"

"To burn the seaweed with? I’m afraid not," says Admiral. He doesn’t have much use for lamp oil and the like since he can see in the dark. He looks to Regan and the rest of the group. Humans have notoriously poor vision in the dark, so he supposes one of them might have brought some along.

"I mean, I have a few torches, but... I doubt they'd be very useful. Wet seaweed doesn't exactly light up particularly easy. That said..." as he talks, Regan drops his pack off one shoulder, "The light wouldn't hurt, and we can at least test how the plant life responds to fire."

His warhammer blinks away as he retrieves a torch and his tinderbox. Lighting the torch, he hands it to one of the others long enough to stow his kit and secure his ruck, shouldering it again. He slings his shield over his backpack, summoning his hammer and taking the torch back in his off-hand.

He will push the flaming end near the seaweed, ready to snatch it back if the plants grab for it as they did Admiral's sword.

The hulk of seaweed writhes a bit as the flame approaches, some tendrils withdrawing from the flame.

"Really? I didn't think it would care, but it seems I was wrong. Grab some more torches out of my ruck!"

"Think we can pass safely with use of the torches?"

"You just saw them pull away from the fire. If you have a better idea, speak up," Regan says as he pokes the torch at the seaweed again.

In response to Regan's second poke with the torch the seaweed writhes again at the point of contact. Also a mass of intertwined tendrils protrude from the hulk above Regan, the end of which are shaped into a massive bowl. The tendrils part, releasing a flood of water that lands on Regan and douses the torch. Then tendrils at Regan's chest level shoot out toward him.

INIT is slow 6

"Oh is that how it is?"