Neither is in any condition to communicate; one has visible purple marks on its neck and the other is currently suffering from a nasty compound fracture.

>Interrogate. Perhaps, with work, you could get answers from the hostages even in their weakened state.

5.

You hold a vote for the tribe to determine it's next course of action. It is a swift vote, only lasting a minute and comes to one conclusion. To find out why the two solids stole one of your tribe kin. Before starting the interrogation, you make sure to look at the wounded of the tribe. The one who was cut is recovering nicely, the gel layer on the outside has stitched closed, even if the area is a bit thin. The other, the one who was hit with a glass jar on the other hand, is worsening. The glass fragments, most of them anyway, have embedded in it's body and move whenever they do, the larger fragments cutting the ligaments on the inside and the smaller ones irritating the gel itself and stopping them from healing properly. The wound was not necessarily life threatening, but the decline in condition is making it more risky. It would probably be best to treat them soon.

Then you take the biggest of your kin to act as your guard as you enter the Wooden Hall. To the solids you must make an imposing sight, for your guards are armed with wooden blocks with metal spikes thrust through them, enough to puncture your body as easily as it would the solids. With the two warriors flanking your sides, you approach the two solids. Closing in, the lean one backs away a little, pulling the brawny one with them, trying to put distance between them and you. But they soon back themselves into a corner with nowhere to hide. With nowhere left to run, the lean one cowers as you inspect the brawny one. They do not stirr on their own and are hot to the touch. You observe some strange motions while looking at them. It's centre of mass, the hub from which it's limbs come from, puffs up and down, even as they seem to be unaware of their surrounding, like one of your tribe kin in the dream-world. Could that be a method of communication? You aren't sure, but you turn to the lean one and manipulate your muscles in a way to cause your hub to push in and out like theirs.

This seems to only make them agitated and they huddle up in a ball in the corner, clearly scared. Hmm. You look at the brawny one. It is paler than the other. You take a look at where one of your kin had hit it. The protective plate that seems to cover the joint is shattered, one part of it is freely floating and moves out of place when you poke it with a popping sound. But the damage seems to be more severe than the initial estimate, with the top part of the lower bone also broken.

Hmmm. You need some kind of name for these, but you aren't sure yet what would be a good choice to call them. The lower appendage upper bone is broken. You wonder what kind of creature has bone. Your people don't have any rock inside them, yet these ones seem to. You could only ask for a more alien being if they could fly and breathe fire. You look at it's...head? You think it contains it's centre of thought, but you can't be sure, though it seems most of the sensory organs are on the head aside from the two on the upper hub. Those ones are surrounded in thin hairs, like the ones around this ones bone filled maw. You grab the base of it's mouth and push upwards out of curiosity. It's a separate bone entirely and makes a clicking sound when the bones in the bottom of the mouth hit the top ones. You copy the creature's jaw and entire head and turn to face the lean one who lacks facial hair all while blinking a message asking who they are and puffing your hub in and out.

They take in a big gust of air and scream in horror. Maybe that's how they communicate?

>Explore. You only scraped the surface of the Deep Tunnel infrastructure and have not made any serious forays beyond the mouth of the Hollowed Marketplace. What could be living in either? What can you find, and which outposts can you make?
>Build. The barricades protecting against the lurkers in the Deep Tunnels are weak and incomplete, and judging by the alarming speed and precision which one of them showed during your break-in further reinforcement may be advised. There would also almost certainly be time to help make the area more comfortable to your kin by removing sharp edges from surfaces around your settlement.
>Study. There are many unanswered questions down here, things that could be studied to improve the lot of your tribe. Strange symbols appear on things hanging from the ceiling, on the cylinders and other things. Perhaps it's some kind of language? Besides this, you believe that your magic may need to be turned to other purposes besides water gathering soon.
>Worship. The sheer scale of the construction around you and your tribe-kin leaves them amazed in wonder. What kind of hands could've built something so magnificent? The excited youths create stories of giant beings who shaped themselves into the structures as a gift to slimekind. Perhaps they are right? This requires further meditation on.
>Descend again. Back into the black - exact more penalties, shatter more outposts, take more slaves of those who would burn you.
>Interrogate. Perhaps, with some medical treatment, you could get answers from the hostages even in their weakened state - language will be fair game first, followed by motives and negotiation. Unfortunately thanks to the physiological differences the first attempt did not go too well. You aren't sure how to help them recover, nor are you too certain how they communicate. But you are starting to get the feeling they communicate by sound, if only because the lean one screamed in terror.
>Other. Perhaps you have another plan?

Tribe: Twelve slime creatures and eighteen mature, fully detached larvae. With water plentiful, they are quickly accumulating mass. They are a third of their full size and will be able to start working at two thirds.
- The Hermit.
- Unidentified hostages.
Technology:
- Simple metallic hand tools, amounting to some cast-iron lump hammers, fasteners and serrated knives stamped from cheap metal.
- Shaped remnant of barrel used to collect dripping water.
- Permanent light that produces a dull glow and recharges in sunlight.
- The base materials for archery.
Infrastructure:
Hollowed Marketplace (subterranean)
- Deep Tunnels (light barricade)
- Trickling Walls
- Four halls, not fully searched.
-- Tool hall, contains dozens of rusted metal tools, completely unsuited for use by your kin.
-- Wood hall. The wood has rotted and broken now, though the use of it in the first place puzzles you.
-- Food hall, the place where your tribe-kin found the fruits, the vegetables, the bars and cylinders.
Foods: A broken barrel of fermented fruit mash, dragged to base camp by foraging slimes. Your tribe has ceased to use it for food, as it emits a rank smell and has been fully taken over by a gelatinous film. It has been moved outside of to be disposed of and will be removed from the food list on the next turn.
- Bars of...something? They were stored in the same place as the other foods, maybe they contain some as well?
- The metal cylinders seem to contain food according to the images on them. Some of your tribe kin have tried bashing them off the walls to no avail.
- Large quantity of fruit and vegetables. They require mashing before they can be consumed properly. They are being mashed on demand to provide food for the tribe.
- Several dozen squab, which will provide a rich boost in protein and additional calcium from dissolving the bones. These are being absorbed mostly by the young tribe kin in order to fortify them with the extra calcium to allow them to grow big and strong, though they seem similar to the solids in the same way the slime on the fruit mash is similar to you. Maybe they can be studied?
Resources: Charred brick and shards of ceramic line the streets above the marketplace, and the structure itself may hold more valuable tools. Wood is plentiful among the disused storerooms but is often rotten beyond repair. Flint arrowheads and gut were obtained in great supply from the endoskeletals.
Magic: Dew Point Hieroglyphs
- A set of ritual inscriptions that cause the material they are marked with to rapidly condense water onto its surface, accumulating a thin, permanent membrane of water which can be siphoned for breeding or consumption.
Religion: You do not worship.

Victory Conditions
Palatial Control
Rule by right of blood and arms will be yours if only you can secure the fortress on the hill.
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They are being mashed on demand to provide food for the tribe.