SHOOGBIMBHALD had suppress yet another wince when He noticed the crab had been changed. He'd gotten careless, and now the crab was caught up in the kuo-toa's beliefs. SHOOGBIMBHALD didn't like that because that meant a small measure of empowering faith was being directed somewhere other than at Him. Leo didn't like that because now it meant the crab would be subjected to the same changes Leo himself was going through. That was something to worry about later though. SHOOGBIMBHALD watched as Blibdoolpoolp rose to his feet and had to suppress yet another wince when He saw the extent of the high priest's injuries.

[b]"It shall be done, Great SHOOGBIMBHALD,"[/b] The high priest said solemnly. [b]"We will seal this tunnel. We will dig in a different direction. The crab of wisdom shall guide us to safer treasures."[/b]

He paused then. His bulging eyes searching SHOOGBIMBHALD's face. For a moment, Leo feared the worst.

[b]"Is there anything else you require of your servants, Great One? Any other wisdom you wish to impart? Any other... tests?"[/b]

Fighting down the urge to sigh in relief, SHOOGBIMBHALD pondered the question for a moment. After 'failing' that last 'test', Blibdoolpoolp was understandably a little on edge. But if a good performance could cause a problem, then a good performance could solve it as well. And so SHOOGBIMBHALD straightened up and began to speak in sonnet.

[b]"O children carved of scale and ebbing gleam,
Attend the pulse that hums beneath the stone.
For in the dark where sight forgets its dream,
The mind must weave the currents on its own.
Let echoes be your lanterns in the shale,
And heed the tremors folded in the ground.
Trust not the stillness, stillness oft will fail,
For predators wear silence like a gown.
Yet fear not dark, for dark is but a veil
That hides the paths which only faith can chart.
The drip of time may sculpt a safer trail
If patient fins keep steady in the heart.
So listen when thy faith begins to speak,
Its murmur marks the strong, and shields the weak."[/b]

Whether or not this did anything to soothe the high priest's woes, there wasn't time to tell for sure. A moment later, a young messenger came scampering in with a message.

[b]"High Priest! Great SHOOG... SHOOG..."[/b] The messenger tried to start, but was to out of breath to properly get going.

[b]"Take a moment, young one. Breathe."[/b] SHOOGBIMBHALD said gently.

The messenger paused, gasped for air, and then tried again. [b]"SHOOGBIM... SHOOGBIMBLAD... no wait... SHOOGBING..."[/b]

[b]"Breathe, young one."[/b] SHOOGBIMBHALD gently insisted when He realized the messenger was still a bit out of breath.

[b]"GREAT BIG SHOOG!"[/b] The young kuo-toa finally shouted in triumph, causing SHOOGBIMBHALD to have to fight back a laugh rather than a wince this time.

Blibdoolpoolp's eye twitched, but SHOOGBIMBHALD raised a staying hand before the high priest could do anything else. [b]"Speak."[/b] The god bade His messenger.

[b]"We have... we have..."[/b] The messenger didn't need any prompting to take a breath this time. [b]"We have captured... a thing! A person thing! An intruder thing! In the south! The south digging place! Where we dig! In the south![/b]

Having not known dryness for the past three months, SHOOGBIMBHALD was unbothered by the water thrown about by the wild gesticulation.

[b]"We found them doing... doing intruder activities! Very suspicious activities! Like... like being there! When they should not be there! And... and having a face we did not recognize!"[/b] The messenger continued. [b]"They are in the sitting room! The big sitting room! With the big sitting chair! Your sitting chair! We put them there! Well, not in the chair, that is YOUR chair, Great Big Shoog, we put them near the chair! Waiting! For judgment! Your judgment! The judgment of..."[/b]

As the messenger struggled with the name of his god, Leo spoke to Nyphl through their telepathic link. [i]'Go to the throne room ahead of me.'[/i] He communicated to the flumph. [i]'See who this intruder is, how they are holding up, and if they are good or evil. If they are good, do what you can for them if they're hurt and tell them I'll get them out of here so long as they don't do anything to make the kuo-toa think I'm not a god. If they are evil, tell them nothing and have them blindfolded so they cannot see that I am not really a god. Once you have done that, come back and tell me what you could figure out about them.'[/i]

[b]"...SHOOGBIMBHALD!"[/b] The messenger finally got the name right just as Leo finished his telepathic communication.

SHOOGBIMBHALD nodded in approval of the young kuo-toa's success and subsequent pride in the aforementioned success.

[b]"Please come! Please come judge the intruder! They are very... very intruded!"[/b] The messenger implored.

[b]"All in good time."[/b] SHOOGBIMBHALD said, quickly coming up with a way to give Nyphl time to check on and speak with the kuo-toa's prisoner ahead of his arrival and return to report its findings. [b]"I will sit in judgement of the intruder, but it would not do to have them witness me enter in any sort of mundane manner. Blibdoolpoolp, prepare a procession worthy of my divine splendor. Once I am able to make an appropriate entrance, I will go to judge them then."[/b]

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SHOOGBIMBHALD makes a Performance check of [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/29673]23[/url] to ease Blibdoolpoolp's worries.
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