Water, water all around us. Endless water in all and every direction. A shimmering light permeating, the waters. The fact that we were not immediately squashed by enormous pressure could mean only 1 thing:
The plane of water
Being experienced adventures reactions were immediate. Gathering the air bubbles in whatever container we could, frantically looking around for anything that might postpone our drowning. Meanwhile Redemption, like she had all the time in world, grabbed a cap from her gear, put it on her head and spoke a single world. Bacon?
And a ripple of air started to surround her face.Some of the panic left me as she started to blow air into our waterskins so we could breath as well. With the most urgent problem solved we could start to look around. And not far away from our point of arrival we found a giant rocky structure covered in coral. With a single platform extruding from the formation. The platform was clearly made, with tiles lying on the floor, and a big single pillar standing on its edge. The pillar was cut in twain. Sliced like carrot, like it had been nothing to go through feet of solid stone. On closer inspections this pillar was not just a pillar. It was a touchstone. A place where the edges of reality start to blend into each other. Somewhere were jumping between the planes would be easier.. if only it had been.. not sliced in two.
While exploring we got surrounded by 4 water elementals. Who, when prompted, told us that this was the domain of their master. When we asked when we could speak to it, they were not able to give an exact time. These were not the most bright of elemental creatures I have ever come across. We were eventually able to deduce that our waiting time would be measured in minutes to hours and we decided to wait for the “master” in question. With the help of Redemption We collected enough air for me to breath a full minute while I produced a tiny hut, the dry space was a fast improvement over floating in the water, which was already become quite claustrophobic in its own way, thanks leomund, you are a life safer.
The Master turned out to be a Marid, he introduced himself as Alzjarera. A lower ranked merchant, I think. Though with Marids, this only means he is filthy rich and only has a small “zoo” of only 3-4 creatures instead of incredibly filthy rich and hundreds of creatures captured in tiny cells in solitary confinement.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Alzjarera was quite pleased with our visit, especially when we told him we came to “trade”. A buffet was prepared and different courses of the most exotic, and sometimes still moving food was placed before us. Thinking hard to find something worth trading to this froggish creature, Ricardo decided to offer up some of his “magic” mushrooms. Alzjarera insisted that we would try it with him.. so we did. While traveling to his lair he told me of great and ancient water elementals living on this plane, elementals who might be capable of teaching the words of creation..
Damn that stuff hits hard. I remember bits of pieces from the night. I remember lights shapes turning in my head, sounds sounding so colorful, smells intoxicating and tastes were overpowering. I sort of remember playing a song while standing inside of a water elemental. My lungs filling with water, finally hearing the aquan tunes in their native environment.. It was almost magical.
Alzjarera was not.
Later I was told that the slimy beast had been given a love potion, which might explain it.. enthusiastic interest in yours truly. I understand why this creatures lives alone. It’s wooing attempts came down to blustering about it’s might, knowledge and skill while trying to buy me of.
Even if I would be interested in the slimy toad the tour of home convinced me of it’s horrid sense of morality. It’s “zoo” contained 3 creatures, and when I say creatures, I mean humanoids. Intelligent beings like you and me. A member of the merfolk race, a halfling, and a insectoid creature of which I do not know the origin. A creatures were locked in small rooms, nothing inside of it, not even a bed to lie on or a chamber pot. The rooms were transparent from one side so we could look into their rooms, see them slowly go insane with solitary confinement. The marid, alzjarera went on in detail how it cared so well for its pets, cleaning their cells every day. Seemingly not even grasping the torture it was putting these creatures through.
With the drunken, drugged and intoxicated state the creature was in we tried to get information from it. We learned of a Marid city not to far from here, led by a Marid prince. This same prince was is supposed to have the other side of the touch stone we found when arriving. The timeless that was supposed to be here might also be in that city. And the brother of Alzjarera had a shop full of magical items there. I remember slightly that in order to get the information from it we had to… debase ourselves further. I remember being close to Redemption, dancing with her, but the details elude me.
We went to bed trying to recover form our mushroom experiences. It was then that Redemption pulled me aside and whispered.
Congratulations you’re pregnant!