The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Mingzhu follows behind Quasziel in case a feather falls off his wings. They go into the room. There are three binding circles. One has a Red Slaad, one has a Blue Slaad, one has a Green Slaad. In a circular... rolling thing? There's an easel that seems to be able to be passed between them in front of their binding circles. Each of them has a supply of paints, the easel looks like a... chaotic mess, colors all over with no rhyme or reason. There's a painting stand on the far side of the room.

"Green Bamboo Mystery Peanut!" Croaks the Red Slaad.

"I think the idea was to try to get them to paint something coherent together" T’kharr laughs.

"Shoe fins actualize radishes Greenly!" Croaks the Blue Slaad.

She continues, “And… We see how badly it’s working.”

"No! Tequila on Petzel!" The Green Slaad seems to try to grab the easel from the others, which swings over to him, as he puts some random paint on it.

"I'm gonna eat your salad, Dave!" Croaks out the Red Slaad.

"Do we just want to turn all three of them into Slaadi salad at this point...? It's pretty clear that whatever the challenge is asking of them, it's not going to happen for a very long time" T’kharr comments.

"I'm... admittedly not sure how these binding circles would work in regard to what happens if we attack them." Silgara muses. Mingzhu studies the scene.

"Bees everywhere while Molasses cycles in tiiiiimber!" The Blue Slaad says, while taking the easel from the Green Slaad.

"Bees! The feeling of little pig boy getting green!" Says the Red Slaad.

Xrochdyr huffs. "That is an option, admittedly I don't know if killing them, as much as they are senseless irritants, would help us." He hisses, lashing his tail "At least with Tanar’ri they have some degree of sense. But no one can ever maintain bargains with the Slaadi."

"I think I may have an answer." Mingzhu chimes in.

Quasziel looks over. "They are beings of utter Chaos and should not exist. But they are not blocking our egress. So, unless there is something we need here, we should not waste time."

Silgara looks at Mingzhu. "Yes?"

"Is there anything that is controlled by this room?" T’kharr looks around. Silgara and Zsikhou look around while Mingzhu steps up to the three Slaadi.

The Slaad look over to her. The blue speaks first, "It's white! Bleach brings fish from wells!"

"I'm sorry I can't do that Dave! You have to think of the bushes!" Says the Red Slaad.

The shamaness waves her hands. “I have an answer.”

"The answer is a stream going up and down! And counterclockwise!" The Green Slaad says.

Zsikhou looks over at Mingzhu. "Looks like there's something behind this nook here, I think this wall can slide open. I don't know what triggers it."

Silgara considers. "Probably one needs to hang a... completed painting on the wall to do it."

"The Cache has cash! And Machetes! Machetes that grow on trees!" Croaks out the Green Slaad.

Mingzhu points to the paint then the red Slaad. “Red lobster.” Then she points to the blue, “With blueberry sauce.” Then to the green. “Topped with a pile of green mint.”

"Blue lobster! Covered in goooooo!" Says the Blue Slaad.

"Pincers pinch, pinch, while going to sing music to azaleas!" Says the Red Slaad. Mingzhu shakes her head and chuckles.

"No! I'm Orgoch this time! You can't have Orgoch!" Says the Green Slaad, as they take the painting back, painting something random and nonsensical, that just looks like a blob of paint on a crazy canvas.

"I said I was Orgoch! You're Orwin this time!" The Red Slaad ribbits, then takes the painting, also painting something nonsensical.

"See what I mean?" T’kharr tells Mingzhu with a hearty chuckle.

"Worms coming out of the face! With ooze! All of the ooze!" Says the blue one.

"I see. this could be quite fun." Mingzhu smiles.

"You can't have all of the ooze! Some of it needs to go into the pitcher!" Says the Green Slaad.

Xrochdyr huffs, flexing his wings "Well the solution to this puzzle seems pretty simple. They'd need to collaboratively create an actual painting and hang it on the wall. Which they could do if they could actually cooperate or gain a single measure of sense in their heads for more than a single moment." The Abishai huffs, "And knowing how this place is set up, I expect we can't just do it for them."

"Art is FREE! Peazel!" Says the Blue Slaad, as they take the painting and start painting on it.

“How do you think we could help, Xrochdyr?” Mingzhu muses.

Xrochdyr considers flexing his claws. "I... " He hisses in some irritation. "Honestly don't know. I've never heard of Slaadi ever doing anything besides destroying. Eventually their impulses lead them to violence, and they're driven by entropy of anything ordered. Unlike Tanar’ri, they don't have a sense of self-interest one can appeal to either. The only way I can see us getting whatever is in that hidden compartment is to bypass it somehow. But I expect that won't be easy."

Quasziel looks forward. "The wards ahead do not impede us. We can leave these lowly creatures of chaos to their nonsense."

Mingzhu suggests, “What about have them make a painting together that doesn’t make sense." Like two flamingos getting married on a carriage on the top of a mountain."

"Oooon top of the world! Which means rotating on a squeezel self-actualizing!" The Red Slaad says, while taking the painting and making something else nonsensical.

“Something their nonsensical minds would understand.” She adds.

... Xrochdyr looks over, a huff. "Somehow I expect even that is beyond them."

"Marriage? Exchange napkins! And throw rings at the eyes! Then you can breathe a storm of rings!" Says the Green Slaad, they take the painting, just splattering on something more or less random.

Mingzhu tries to wave to get their attention points to the red one. "You paint something give to blue frog. He adds something He gives to green frog. He adds something he likes."

The Red looks to Mingzhu. "I paint and PAINT! Art is FREE! Vomit makes for chunky colors!"

The Blue Slaad looks over "Streams like creeping yellow! Barnacles and boobs, bobber and like boomerang boom!" They take the easel and start painting again.

"I'm on a ton-ton!" Says the Green Slaad "Can you see my haaaaaaayyyy!!?"

"He did it! No! He did it! I got the brain! Nuh uh!" Says the Red Slaad, they take the painting and start... it's not clear what it's painting. If it even is anything.

Mingzhu looks at the Red Slaad. “How about painting a tree?”

"Tree! Did you see how the tree was made when you threw him at a well?" Replies the Red Slaad.

"Trees are BLUE! With purple streams dangling! Did you see how they swing going up and down and all around?!" Says the Blue Slaad.

Mingzhu suddenly keys into something they are saying. She asks, “How was it made? I wonder?”

"Peazel!" Says the Blue Slaad as they take the painting and begin work. Or nonsense. Probably nonsense.

T’kharr huffs, then sighs, “"Perhaps you could scout beyond this room while the experimentation is going on?" to Zsikhou. Zsikhou nods, then scurries off.

"It was made because Dave had his salad eaten!" The Green Slaad says "No! I'm painting Dave!" The Green Slaad takes the painting.

"What about home? Can you paint your home. It would be nice if you three had a picture of home." Mingzhu asks.

"Jack be nimble jack be quick! Jack sit on the candlestick!" Says the Red Slaad.

"I don't think Limbo's...comprehensible enough to make a serviceable painting? But I could be wrong." T’kharr intones.

Mingzhu jumps up and down. “Yes! Yes! That’s it. Paint Dave in his home.”

"I'm frankly impressed that they can get a grammatically correct sentence out of their mouths." T’kharr chuckles.

"It's a plane of pure chaos. “It’s...” Silgara says, "I don't think it's well explored, it's so completely nonsensical that it's hard for anything to live there."

"The Candle goes in his butt! Butt fires! Now burp it!" The Blue Slaad says. T’kharr muzzle paws.

Mingzhu says, “Yes, and you add Bart holding a fart.”

"Bart fart slartibartfart man!" Says the Red Slaad, taking the painting.

Zsikhou returns "Not much farther ahead, ran into the room with Jalyndae. Looks like we've circled around, sssk."

They can all see Mingzhu is getting a kick out of this as she envisions working with 5-year-old children. "Uuuuuuurp! Scuuuse me! Rur hur hur!" The Blue Slaad takes the painting next.

"Mop work does a mop! Mop on his head! Says Bweeeeeee!" The Green Slaad shuffles the painting then takes custody of it, starting to paint... something?

Zsikhou huffs, looking to the Slaadi, "Well this is a productive evening for these idiots. Well, what do we do now?"

"Perhaps you can scout to see if there's anything beyond the room with the mousy Guardinal in it?" T’kharr says to Zsikhou.

Quasziel huffs, "We are wasting time here. This room does not have one of the levers we need. I shall proceed forthwith to the room with the last lever." Zsikhou nods and moves off.

"What about behind the wall? Mingzhu asks.

"Which room would have the last lever in it? If you're referring to Jalyndae, then we are going to return to that room; come the morning time." T’kharr responds.

Quasziel looks over "There may not even be anything there. And yes, that is the one with Jalyndae. Now stop wasting time, I'm going there." He moves off. Mingzhu doesn’t trust Quasziel. She follows him.