Rimli's situation looks quite hopeless. He finds himself in the middle of a large cavern, chained down to a dais or platform of some kind. The cavern itself is filled with two or three hundred fish-men, all kneeling reverently in the few inches of water which cover the floor, while a lone fish-man of some importance stands before the dwarf with an unmistakable look of evil in his glassy eyes. He wears many belts and straps on his torso, but no clothing, and his odd raiment is ornatmented with colorful shells and coral which rattle slightly at his every move. In the dim light shed by the glowing fungi and lichen on the walls, Rimli can see that he bears no weapon save for a sheathed dagger hanging from one of his belts. fish-man: (turns to the assembled fish-men and says something unintel- ligible) fish-men: (respond in kind) fish-man: (says something else, then turns to Rimli and unsheathes his dagger, regarding the dwarf with huge fish-like eyes) Rimli: (spits on him in disgust and hatred, despite the futility of this action) fish-man: (speaking in the trade-language) You and other dwarf defile area sacred to Sea Mother, Blibdoolpoolp. Sea Mother angry at kua-toa, and send dwarf to teach lesson. So we sacrifice you and other dwarf to Her, to appease Sea Mother. You should know why you die, dirty surface-thing. Now, I, Ghoti, priest to Sea Mother, set things right. Rimli: *gulp!* Clanggedin slay 'ese 'ere mur'drous fishies! Ghoti: (he grabs Rimli by the hair, raises his dagger high above his head, and speaks some more unintelligble phrases in a loud voice) Rimli: (in the underground trade language) Y'r bloody makin' the w'rst mistake o' y'r bloody mis'rable life, y' bleedin' 'alibut breath! Y' thin' y'r goddess'll forgiv y' f'r bloody slayin' _'er_ tool o' judgement on ye!? Ghoti: You not know ways of Sea Mother! (he bends over and speaks loudly right in Rimli's face) I sacrifice you, appease Her! Rimli: Bah! Y'r bloody fool enough t' do it, then y' can bloody face her wrath y'rself-- or mine! (unexpectedly, he summons up all his strength and rips the chain free from the platform, following through with a double-handed haymaker to Ghoti's fish-face) Ghoti: Urgh! (he topples backwards onto the dais, spitting out blood) Rimli: (immediately leaps on top of him and grabs his dagger) kua-toa: (cry out a variety of sentiments and rise to attack Rimli) Rimli: (holding the dagger at Ghoti's throat) Stop righ' there, y' 'addock 'eads! 'Ow much would ye like t' wager tha' I c'n kill this 'ere priest o' yers e'en if ye manage t' spear me wi' one o' them 'arpoons? kua-toa: (back off uneasily) Rimli: Now, 'tis nae a concern o' mine, seein' as 'ow you lot plan t' kill me whe'er 'e lives or dies, bu' I bet ye'd rather 'ave 'im alive an' kickin'. (he grabs a hold of one of the priest's many shoulder straps) I'm jus' goin' t' drag 'is sorry carcass out o' 'ere, an' if one o' ye makes a move agin' me, I'll slit 'is bleedin' throat fr'm gill t' gill-- an' I nae think tha' yer Bliddypoop'll be pleased t' know tha' one o' 'er priests died on account o' one o' you, now would she? So make way, chowder brains, an' no one gets 'urt. (he starts down off the platform) kua-toa: (angrily but anxiously part before Rimli and let him by) Rimli: Oy, I w'sh I 'ad me Barak-Nor an' fair op'rtunity t' teach y' s'me bloody manners wi' it! (with great effort, he drags the panicked kua-toa priest through the watery cavern and into the tunnel from which the guards had brought him) Ghoti: (furious and somewhat frightened) You pay for this, dry-land! You die! Rimli: Aye, bu' nae t'day. (he looks about quickly trying to find his way back to Rori, then picks a likely route and heads off) kua-toa: (press in some ten feet behind Rimli, ready to slaughter the dwarf at a moment's notice) Relying on your dwarven intuition and sense of direction, you make your way back to Rori and the cells without much difficulty. Rori: (surprised as all get-out) Riml'! Wh' th' bloo'y 'ells...? Rimli: There's nae time t' tell ye 'bout i' now, cous'n. (he props Ghoti up against a wall, held in place with the dagger, and quickly grabs a ring of keys hanging on a hook near the tunnel entrance) 'Ere, take these an' get yersel' out o' there! (he tosses them to Rori) Ghoti: You die for this! You die! (he is obviously quite upset) Rori: (finds the right key and releases himself) Och! 'Tis good t' be oot 'n free ag'n! Rimli: We're nae free yet, Rori. (he looks Ghoti in the eye) Yer goin' t' show us th' way out o' 'ere, unnerstan'? Ghoti: Ha! You never escape! Never get out! Rimli: (turns to the other kua-toa) Yer priest 'ere says tha' if 'e dies, Bliddypoop'll come 'ere 'erself an' kill th' lot o' ye. I'll nae kill 'im if one o' ye shows us th' way out. Rori: An' th' way t' m' 'amme'. Rimli: So who wants t' save yer people from th' wrath o' Bliddypoop? kua-toa: (shuffle around nervously, mumbling to each other in their own incomprehensible language, until one finally steps forward) Rimli: Och! 'Tis good t' see tha' one o' ye 'as enough sense t' 'elp out. Lead us t' th' edge o' yer territ'ry, or yer fish 'ere gets it. Rori: An' t' our b'longin's! (in Dwarvish, to Rimli) We'll be needin' our weap'ns an' gear i' 'ese 'ere f'sh-'eads nae st'ck wi' 'eir en' o' th' barg'n, Rim. Rimli: Aye, I s'pose yer righ', Ror. An' I nae like th' idea o' leavin' me axes behin'! Ghoti: (still just as furious) You die! Rimli: Shut yer gob! I've 'ad jus' abou' enough o' yer prattlin' on, mate! (he turns to the reluctant volunteer and gets a good grip on Ghoti's straps) Lead on, then! kua-toa: (hesitantly starts down a tunnel, looking back every few seconds to make sure Ghoti is still alive) other kua-toa: (still follow closely behind) Rimli: Rori, ye'd better keep an eye on th' other fishies, jus' in case 'ey try somethin'. An' see if ye c'n unlock these 'ere manacles, will y'? Rori: 'Tis nae a probl'm, cooz'n. (he tries a few likely keys and manages to find the one that fits the manacles' locks) Och! An' 'ere w' go! (he fits the manacles on Ghoti's webbed hands and locks them tight) Rimli: Aye! Good idea, laddie! kua-toa: (sloshes through the watery tunnels for a few minutes, then comes to a small cavern which is blocked off by a rusty iron gate) Peering through the bars, you do indeed catch sight of your axes, Rori's great warhammer, and the rest of your gear, along with a fair accumu- lation of other wealth. Rori tries the key ring, but none fit the lock. Ghoti: (still ranting) Sea Mother kill you both! Rimli: Listen t' me, laddie. If ye say one more word abou' th' bleedin' Sea M'ther, I'll clean ye wi' this 'ere dagg'r, find me some 'taters, an' fry y' up fer supper! kua-toa: (stands nearby, scared to death that Rimli will make good on his threat, even though he doesn't quite understand it completely) Rori: Och! Th' keys nae w'rk, Rim. (he tosses the keys away in disgust grabs a bar in each hand) Grrr! (slowly but surely, he bends them apart until a space wide enough for a dwarf to pass through has been created, then quickly steps through and grabs his hammer) Rimli: Good job, cous'n! Rori: Thank y'! (he swings his massive hammer at the gate, completely ripping it off its rusty hinges and sending it clanging against the other side of the tunnel) kua-toa: (startled, he jumps aside as the twisted mass of metal bars strikes the wall less than a foot away from him) Rori: (to his hammer) Och! I m'ssed y', lass! (he starts loading up with their equipment while browsing through the kua-toa's own collection of valuables) Rimli: 'Urry up, Rori! (to the kua-toa guide) 'Ow d'ye get outta 'ere? kua-toa: (points down the tunnel) That way. You go, leave priest behind. Rimli: I'm nae lettin' go o' ol' Ghoti 'ere 'til we're outside o' yer borders, flounder-face. Rori: (emerges from the chamber, heavily-laden with equipment and weapons) 'At's e'eryth'n', Rim! Rimli: You 'eard 'im, fishy-- lead on! kua-toa: (feeling like there's just nothing else he can do, he complies, and his brethren crowd the tunnel behind the dwarves and their captive) The kua-toa does indeed lead you through a number of twisting corridors, stopping occasionally to try to convince you that you've reached your destination. However, to your trained dwarven eyes, it's obvious that the tunnels and caverns around you have been well-traveled and hand- crafted, and that you are, in fact, not yet outside the territory of this band of kua-toa. Eventually, though, the guide stops you once again, and you are inclined to believe him. There is but a single tunnel leading east, and it appears much more deserted than the others. Rimli: Aye, 'is is much better. (he pulls Ghoti's face close to his own) 'Tis been good t' meet ye, ye slimy piece o' filth. (he roughly shoves him away towards the expectantly-waiting kua-toa) Ghoti: Foolish dry-land! I call Blibdoopoolp and destroy you! (he starts some odd chant and awkwardly tries gesturing with his shackled hands) Rori: Bah! (he pounds the tunnel floor with his hammer) As the hammerhead strikes the ground, it sends out a powerful shockwave in a wide arc before it. Small pieces of rock and stalagtites rattle loose from the ceiling and walls as the magical force of the weapon is released down the tunnel. Some kua-toa are obviously injured immediately, and Ghoti's chanting is interrupted by the massive rumbling, but all the fish-men within sight are sufficiently shocked and stunned enough that the two of you have a chance to make a run for it.