Schnickle considered Illianka's reply. The deep gnomes knew well the value of keeping secrets, so he could respect her reluctance to speak. He himself had things he would not speak about. As long as more driders and drow did not come, he would not try to find out. "Okay."

The drider behind you, the travel to the ferry-station passes fairly uneventfully.

Upon arrival, you find a pair of grimlocks waiting. It is likely to be 10 hours before the ferry comes past.

Schnickle wandered over to the grimlocks. "Good mornings to you." he said cheerily.

OOC: Exactly how do you want the concept of 'morning' to translate into a place with no concept of day or night? Perhaps 'time after sleeping' is a fair translation.

The grimlocks grunt. "Good enough." You note that the grimlocks are playing some sort of game involving some oddly shaped rocks. Each has a few copper coins in front of them, and every so often one or two of them change hands.

OOC: As someone who frequently mixes up mornings and evenings on the surface world, I'm not fussed, and neither is Schnickle. :)


Schnickle watches the game, intrigued. "What are you playing?"


OOC:
Was leading up to a Gather Info check regarding Svirfs and Mind Flayers,
20:32, Today: Schnicklegulp Stoneswiper rolled 3 using 1d20+2. gather info.
But never mind. :(

"It's called grak'rak'lansa. Old Grimlock game."

"Oh..." Schnickle thought about asking to play, but they might fleece him, or just get annoyed and squish him.

Still, he was a svirf with many questions. "Whereabouts are you going?"

"Back home." The grimlocks seem uninterested in disclosing any more details.

"Oh. Good luck to you then." They didn't seem inclined to be talkative, so Schnickle decided not to push them further, at least, not now.

He wandered back towards Illianka and Deepwalker, but kept an ear and an eye on the two grimlocks.

If they're blind, how do they see the dice? the gnome wondered.

They are feeling which side up they are - there are depressions on the stones.

"Can we get passage here..?" Illianka looks at Schnickle keenly, the whites of her eyes start in her dark face.

"Yes, I am guessing so. But wait we must, for ten hours or so." Schnickle shrugged. "In the 'dark, time is not so good."

The svirfneblin clapped his hands together. "Perhaps a game we could play too." He looked around for a moment, at the caverns, and rocks and stalactites and water. "My little eye with I spy... beginning with something R!"

Time passes quietly. A mist rises & then thins, and eventually you spot the ferry coming in. The ferryman stands at the helm as the boat floats through the eerily black waters.

"Ten gold each for passage - where is your destination?" intones a soft-spoken, yet strong voice.

"Where are you going>" Schnickle called back.

Deepwalker spends his time in mediation and training.  Reaching into his coffers when the ferryman arrives he pulls out ten gold pieces.

"The ferryman goes everywhere. Of course, if you meant *next*, I will be travelling clockwise around the lake - the labyrinth then reeshov are next."

The Grimlocks were probably going to Reeshov then. Schnickle reached into his bag pulled out ten pieces of local 'dark currency. He skipped into the boat and gave the ferryman the coins. "Get there when we, let you know we will." the svirfneblin said mysteriously.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Fri 23 June 2006.

"Very well" says Coveras.

He pushes the ferry away from the edge and it begins to glide through the waters. Several hours pass as he comes close to several stops but sees nobody interested in getting on there. Finally, the two grimlocks tap Coveras on the shoulder and say in crude common "Reeshov is us."
Coveras pulls the ferry in to a halt at a well-built and apparently frequently used port.

Schnickle watched the not-all-pleasant sights of the Darklake with interest and patience. Sometime during the voyage, he piped up to ask Caveras "Know you anything in these parts about Mind Flayers?"

"They have a city a few weeks away from here, and they have awful dinner manners. What more do I want to know?"

"Being constructed a new illithid settlement is. Where we were, it is not too far from. A new port of stopping you might have." Schnickle explained. He wondered if that would get the attention of the Grimlocks. If they were going to Reeshov, then they must despise the Flayers.

Illianka grimaced, pulling out the small pouch of coins she's managed to steal on her way out of Ched Nusad. Of the decent amount she'd taken, there was very little left... With a little regret, she dug her single remaining platinum piece out and passed it to the Ferryman for passage then settled into the ferry. Though she seemed to be meditating, in reality she listened to the conversation with one ear.

The grimlocks display no outward sign that they are listening, but you are fairly sure that won't stop them keeping a close eye on anything involving the flayers.

OOC: Or would that be a close ear or nose? :)

Schnickle went on talking to Carevas. "Know you a person or creature who would well pay for information such as this?"