Greenbriar.
The murlocs were abuzz with activity as their boat floated down the dark river. The cold and wet air and river spray splashed against their rubbery flesh as they set about their duties as they traveled. Fishing nooses were thrown into the water to catch food and offerings for The Dark One while the murlocs went between walking along the length of the boat and rowing. Though for the most part, the boat was just travelling at the mercy of the river current rather than the murlocs rowing.
Some of them wielded small crude spears/tridents that they used to puncture their catches and haul them into the boat as well as defend them against the flying things that hovered close to the river. Their sharp eyes leering down at the boat, full of small murloc podlings.
But the winged things had learned to be wary and clever by now, the murlocs weren't an easy prey for them, much of the length of the river was becoming more and more trouble than it was worth to hunt for fish of late. With the murlocs now laying claim to it even more so.
But that didn't stop the murlocs from keeping glassy eyes on the skies, or the shore as the river narrowed in some places to the point that the murlocs had to use a oar to keep from getting stranded on some wedge of rocks or sandbar. Some of them also kept their eyes glued to the shores, watching for targets for them to raid for plunder and offerings!
Which were little to be had so far. All they've found so far were some small furred things that quickly beat hasty retreats when the murlocs shouted gurgled calls and threw ropes and spears at them in an effort to claim them. So far they've only managed to capture some fat fish that grew too greedy and found themselves caught in their traps.
Until they found an infantile outpost of their lesser kin, habited from the looks of the tracks in the mud as well as halfway construction of their crude structures. But their lesser kin weren't to be found. Perhaps on a raid or supply run of their own, the leader thought. The lead murloc turned the the others and gave a gurgling command as a clever thought went through its dark and twisted brain.
"Gurmglgl!"
The murlocs gurgled back and began to row the boat towards the small half-finished outpost. Which was hard to do, but their numbers made up for the lack of strength in their small rubbery arms as they steered towards the muddy bank. The boat jerked to a halt with a squelch as it beached itself into the mud, sending several of the murlocs either to the floor of the boat or even overboard and into the mud.
The lead murloc called out another gurgle command and the crew got to work. Their fishy offerings were placed in a single stack not far onto the bank, they then threw their snares and traps around the pile. They then gathered as much of the thick mud, rocks, and reeds as they could and disguised their vessel to match the surrounding. Then they climbed back into the boat and waited.
They waited in their cleverly disguised boat, waiting for their lesser and dumber kin to return. As the brighter orb moved overhead and the buzzing insects began to gather around their clever trap, the river rippled with movement as the murlocs spotted their lesser kin as they breached the water and made their way onto the length of land. With them they carried their own plunder. Small furred beasts, shiny rocks, lengths of wood and reeds for the outpost, and their own haul of fish.
Their lesser kin paused as they saw the small pile of rotting fish which hadn't been there before. They stared their glassy eyes at the pile and made gurgles of their own as they deliberated what to do. Eventually it was decided to investigate. The fools, the lead murloc thought as he and his band watched their lesser kin get closer to the offering, and their traps.
Their lesser kin investigated the pile as buzzing insects filled the air. The insects seemed to aid in their camouflage as the other murlocs were more content on the pile of fish and the irritating insects rather than their own disguise. As their lesser kin reached the point that their webbed feet started to become covered in mud while insects vibrated the very air.
The lead murloc waited, so still were they that not even the flies landing on their glassy eyes made them break their clever cover. Then their moment to strike arrived as their lesser kin soon found themselves entangled in their traps! As they struggled against the thick mud and tangled traps, the lead murloc rose from its position and called out a gurgled command!
"Murglgle!"
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The rest of the murloc band rose and swarmed over the side of the boat and rushed towards their lesser kin, some throwing their crude spears/tridents as well as yet more fishing line. As their lesser kin turned their attention to them, they fought to free themselves as well as meet this new threat. But the murloc band was fast clever, their lesser kin found themselves hampered by flies, thick mud, tangles of line, and a quick assault of spears/tridents as well as clods of thrown mud and rocks.
Their lesser kin didn't stand a chance, the lead murloc thought as their lesser kin fell quickly. Their corpses falling to the mud quickly, the band gurgled a roar of triumph as their first real fight against their lesser kin ends in victory! They quickly gathered their plunder, the fish offerings, the supplies for construction, even the corpses of their lesser kin. Anything they could fit into the boat they did, what was too big or heavy for them to haul into the boat was left behind, they would claim it later.
With victory motivating them, they departed once again, chanting gurgled chants of victory as they pushed themselves onwards! As they went down the river, yet more of their lesser kin fell to their clever tactics. Their poorly built outposts falling to their quick raids. Their boat growing fat with spoils as they went further and further down the river.
As the day started going to night, their boat was at risk of taking on water with the amount of spoils and offerings. They paused as they finished yet another of their river raids and threw their offerings into their boat. Full of plunder, they called out gurgling calls of victory as they hopped back into their boat and made the arduous task of fighting against the river current and heading back home.
Which was slower going than before, not only was the boat unwieldly in their small rubbery arms but the extra weight as well as now fighting against the river made the trek both slow and dangerous. After a particularly rough stretch, they were forced to throw overboard some of their plunder just to keep them from capsizing.
It put a bit of a damper on their mood, to fight so hard for that loot only to have to throw it overboard just to save themselves soured things. They just hoped that what loot they had was enough to please The Dark Thing and ward away his wrath. As they fought their way back up the river though, they came across the sound of something new to their ears. The sounds of digging, of wood being cut, of rough and deep voices.
The murlocs gathered around and gurgled ideas, do they try for one last raid as they got closer to home? Or do they take what they already had and hope it was enough for The Dark Thing. It got a little heated. With slapping and gurgles as the murlocs fought over what to do. Until at last a winner was announced, with a mighty wet slap, a new lead murloc arose among the band. With a gurgled call, it commanded one last raid!
The murlocs beached not far from the embankment and began their last river raid! They gave out gurgled calls and rushed ahead to meet their next foe! Until the lead murloc fell into a hole. The rest of the band paused at the startled gurgle.
"Murgle?!"
"AAAAHHH!!!" A nasally cry came from down in the hole as the lead murloc landed on something fleshy within the hole.
"HELP! HELP!" The voice called out.
"Damn gnome, wha'd he do now?" A gruff voice called from nearby.
"Who cares, he wants help? Let him get outta tha' hole and help us!" Another called out followed by some grumbling.
"HELP! HELP! ME!" The nasally voice called from the hole followed by the lead murloc's gurgling as the two began to struggle within the hole.
"HELP! HELP! HEL- Hey! That's mine!" The voice called out as the lead murloc scrambled up the hole, holding something large and heavy.
It held it aloft for the others and gave a gurgled cry, then proceeded to flee. The rest of the murloc band followed after it with their own cries of victory as they fled towards their boat and hurried to head back up the river and towards home.
-----
Dwarven Outpost.
Forgrim wiped his forehead, it was nice to work up a proper sweat again. One that wasn't just induced by fear and terror but actual work. Now if they could just get Odeas to help so that the others had one less thing to grumble about. Or at least cease his annoying crying. Forgrim and the others only stopped their work when they heard a gurgled cry that they were semi-familiar with.
Being from Daele, a coastal city situated on a river, they were familiar with the beasts and pests of the water. These were some they were well familiar with. Forgrim groaned.
"Come on, lets keep him from gettin' nabbed."
The other dwarves grumbled and headed over to the gnome's defense. While murlocs weren't a danger to dwarves save for perhaps an ambush on a single one of them, and even that was sure to end in the dwarf's favor, to a gnome they could be a real danger. They grumbled as they heard the wet smacking of webbed feet on mud and saw Odeas scrambling from his little hole.
"Help!"
"We heard ya tha first time! What happened?!" Forgrim asked.
"I was attacked! Struck! Violated! Pilfered!" The gnome listed off.
The dwarves rolled their eyes, most waving away his concerns and troubles and returning to work. Forgrim just rubbed his eyes.
"What did they take?"
"My most prized possession! The treasured learnings of the greatest of gnomekind!" Odeas declared.
"Spit it out! What was so important?!"
"Only the collected writings of Sproggeltog Quintus Paravel the 1st! The greatest mind of gnomes all over!" Odeas declared reverently.
Stone Father's rocky beard, Forgrim thought. He sighed.
"Anythin' else?"
"No? But-"
"Then it isn't important. After we build shelter, we'll be protected from further raids from 'em." Forgrim declared and turned to go back to work.
"But-?"
But the dwarves washed their hands of the gnome's missing collection of writing and returned to their work. Leaving the gnome to stare longingly at the dark as the murlocs gave gurgled cries of victory as they made their way up the river with his treasured possession.
-----
Greenbriar.
What a cleverly executed raid, the lead murloc thought as they rowed up the river. While not full of loot as they had before, being able to snatch something on their way back boosted their mood as they rowed. With how heavy it was, it was sure to please The Dark Thing! Except they soon ran into something that put a hamper on their journey back home.
How were they going to get back up the fall? The murlocs gurgled complaints as they realized they would have to drag their swag, along with their boat, over land for the rest of the way. That was something they would need to fix, the lead murloc thought as it was challenged for leadership at the turn of events.