As he heard the morning procession begin its final approach, Leo's demeanor visibly changed as the actor settled into his role. A phrase that he found himself forced to use a little more loosely with each passing day. The hapless former slave turned warlock vanished. The trepidation Leo felt for the task ahead? Gone. The ever-present discomfort Leo felt as a result of living in the lair of a slimy fish folk cult where the concept of dry didn't seem to exist? Gone. Leo himself? Gone. And in his place sat not a man, but a being. A presence. An divine entity of unspeakable power. In his place sat SHOOGBIMBHALD, a god ready to receive this morning's offerings from His devotees.

As the worshippers made their entrance, SHOOGBIMBHALD regarded the offerings they bore speculatively. There would be a good breakfast this day at the very least, that was certain from the half-dozen cushions baring fish and mushrooms. SHOOGBIMBHALD looked on in satisfaction as His kuo-toa prostrated themselves before Him and reverently chanted His name. He basked in the adoration that served as proof that He was lord and master. Out of the corner of His eye, SHOOGBOMBHALD noticed a purple hue enter His peripheral sight. Nyphl had found the kuo-toa's worship concerning from the day it first began, even in the face of SHOOGBIMBHALD'S assurances that there was no cause for concern. The god reached out and gave a reassuring scritch to a spot behind the base one of the flumph's eyestalks where He knew it enjoyed such attention.

[b]"Great SHOOGBIMBHALD,"[/b] A voice croaked, causing SHOOGBIMBHALD to return his attention to the ceremony as the high priest commenced the presentation of the offerings. [b]"We bring tribute! We bring glory! We bring..."[/b]

...SHOOGBIMBHALD quirked an eyebrow at this unexpected pause. A hint of curiosity entered his expression as he watched the priest squint and lean closer to one of the cushions.

[b]"...a boot?"[/b]

The god's face tensed ever so slightly as He bit back a brief flash of mortal mirth at this discovery. As unsettling as they could be, the kuo-toa could also be quite amusing. SHOOGBIMBHALD did not permit himself to show such things on His face though, for that would be most unbecoming of a god.

[b]"The boot was making speeches in the drowned market! Very powerful speeches! When the water moved, the boot said 'squooolsh' and then 'glorple' and we thought... we KNEW... that you might want to eat its power!"[/b]

[b]"It spoke with great authority,"[/b]

[b]"The finest authority,"[/b]

The kuo-toa never failed to do their level best to make that as difficult as possible though. The fact that they did so unintentionally simply made it even funnier.

Thankfully, the high priest was quick to continue the presentation ceremony, allowing SHOOGBIMBHALD to focus His attention on things that didn't threaten to make Him laugh.

He flexed the fingers of His left hand in preparation as He eyed the foodstuffs on offer. Slaves, even valuable ones, weren't exactly given a fine dining experience with every meal. And that was when they weren't being punished or when the mistresses weren't feeling mischievous or cruel. So Leo had long since gotten used to getting what he was given. But SHOOGBIMBHALD was given the best morsels His followers could find, even if the best food a cult of kuo-toa could find was only a small step up from the scraps a dark elf mistress would toss down to her slaves so that they wouldn't starve to death. But that only mattered for the first month, then the kuo-toa's devotion gave him the power of Prestidigitation. After that, everything they brought tasted much better by the time SHOOGBIMBHALD was done with it.

When the crab and the boot were presented, SHOOGBIMBHALD regarded them both with an appraising eye. In all likelihood, they were just a completely ordinary crab and boot. But then again, SHOOGBIMBHALD was just an ordinary escaped slave when the kuo-toa found him. His face tensed once again when the crab pinched one of the kuo-toa hard enough to draw blood. Despite all their faults, He didn't enjoy seeing his followers come to harm.

With all the offerings presented, the kuo-toa fell silent and waited. Waited for their god to speak. And their god let them wait. He let them wait just long enough to have the maximum dramatic effect without letting the silence stretch on for so long as to become awkward. And then He spoke. [b]"The crab of wisdom and the fish of darkness. Bring them closer."[/b] SHOOGBIMBHALD commanded.

Both were within arm's reach of Him within seconds.

SHOOGBIMBHALD reached out and took up one of the fish from its waterlogged cushion. He studied it for a moment, then looked to the crab that still had its pincer clamped down on the hand of the kuo-toa holding it. [b]"Be still."[/b] SHOOGBIMBHALD said to the kuo-toa holding the crab. He then took the fish in his hand and offered it to the crab in the hopes of befriending the nippy crustacean with food, or at the very least convincing it to release His follower.

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Leo rolls a [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/29568]17[/url] on Animal Handling to coax the crab off the kuo-toa's hand with some fish and befriend it if possible.
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