Journal of Lt. Tupper, Day 245 (revised)

Day 245
Apparently the Temple of Deep Satchmo is elsewhere, and the place we found turned out to be one of the Temples of the Sunken City (not to be confused with Nogori's hometown, however sunken and city-like it may be). After dealing with the joys of underwater lightning traps and soggy crates of rotten fish, we found an airlock and yet another obsidian teleport gate. Because we have the collective survival instincts of a dead rat, we all stepped through it. On the other side was the same shoreline and cliff as before, with Rann and a monstrous tiger-like thing waiting for us.

After some disquietingly polite discourse, Rann remarked that Nogori's oft-abused pet turtle was not a 'proper' animal, and set forth to show us how to make it 'proper.' This appears to involve an altar, and creates something you would not want to pat lest it bite your fingers off with its eyeballs, which are on its back. Mistera was understandably agitated at this, and endeavored to destroy the demonstration otter with fire. This led to shaky relations with Rann.

After politely excusing ourselves for our lives, we got back through the obsidian gate and found that Rann's 'pet' had followed us through. Attempts at containment of the creature attracted the attention of its master, and brought about an agreement between us, her, and it that the 'pet' could feast on turtles somewhere else. The gate was then promptly smashed after Rann returned through it. Behind the gate was a hidden room with a potted tree, similar to the ones found outside Izmir and Point of Origin. (The tree, not the room.) Mistera, having ultimately failed in the slaying of the freakish otter, bashed the pot to pieces. Besides the gate room, there are two wells, some rooms set aside for living, and a large pool with a giant mind-raping sea monster in it. Yes. Fortunately it fled from us for some reason before it could get us to kill each other.

Then we decided to head back to the sub, where we found it devoid of gnomes and Hrefna. No record of what happened in the captain's log. Also, gnomish sea captains are JERKS. Best that I can surmise is the crew evacuated due to impending equipment failure. However, the alternative is to return to the temple and camp there. And because that is godsdamn stupid, most everyone else has opted for it. I am the self-assigned guard of the submarine for now.

As it stands, there is a smashed obsidian gate, a book entitled "Manual of the Planes," and both a hideous water-breathing tiger-monster and a large telepathic horror from the depths of the ocean on the loose; over most of which I am deigning to sleep while inside a gnomish tin barrel. If I live through the night, then hopefully the rest will contact me tomorrow. If I don't live through the night, then what's left of me will drift down to them eventually.

Yes, I will be sleeping well tonight.