Vierna now not even surprised as another traveller arrives. "Greetings yourself Don Karnage, I´m Vierna, Vierna Duskryn, I would guess you are welcome, but I am merely a guide, trying to help these people find their way to Neverlight Grove. We were about to find a suitable place to rest first though."

"I would not recommend my last accommodations." Don says with a grin, looking up at the hole he climbed down from. "At least the price was rock bottom!" Don brushes at some of the dirt on his coat. "A guide I would appreciate, and the company." He says looking around at the gathered group, more seriously than before. "I have been alone now for some time. I do not know how long. Being seen by you all, without you immediately trying to steal my boots or eat my ears, it is a nicer feeling than I can say."

Quote from Oberon99 >>

 

(OOC: Did Vierna know anything about Neverlight grove?)

 

 Very little. It's a peaceful myconid settlement, very few people know it exists.

As for the scouting, you find a small cave with a relatively clean stream.

Varnos let out a slight sigh as another one showed up. "It's like elvenkind keeps raining down on us this evening. I wonder who else will show up..." He looked back to the elves that offered assistance with healing. "I think something to get us up and moving now would be best. The further we get away, the better off we shall be."

After a short while Vierna returns to the others. "We are in luck, there is a small cave with a relatively clean stream just over here, it will be a good place to rest while licking our wounds. But in case of any encounters on our way there..." She moves over to Varnos leaning down beside him, a quick gesture, mumbling a few words,placing her hand on one of his wounds. Cure wounds:10 Then she does the same thing for Xunhar. Cure wounds:8 "We better move now, we will be safer in the cave."

(OOC: Thanks DM, but would Vierna find her way there? Is it even in the underdark?)

(Yes and yes. You are going to be in the underdark for a while.)

(So is it far and would we come close to any other settlements?)

Venrila helps Oberon with the healing (lay on hands 5hp to both). "There you go, this should help you. No, if I may be bold; I would say let us move towards Neverlight grove; whatever the place is exactly."

(OOC: It´s Vierna actually, Oberon99 is just my user name ;-) And I got the impression we are going to have a long rest when we get to that cave Vierna found close by, but after that, Neverlight grove, here we come)

Quote from Oberon99 >>

(So is it far and would we come close to any other settlements?)

Neverlight is roughly 30 days by the most direct route, or 90 to circumnavigate the darklake. The direct path wouldn't pass any, going around would go right past the gates of the duergar city Gracklstugh.

(Thanks again, one more question I´m afraid, does Vierna know a way to take the direct route over darklake, by boat or something, or is the only reasonable way via Gracklstugh.)

Xunhar looks somewhat surprised at Vierna's gesture, it's noticeable that his first instinct was to raise his arm defensively, though suppressed "I-... Thank you." he eventually nods and sighs in relief at the diminished pain. The drow eventually points over to the miniature myconid nearby, looking like not much more than a short squat mushroom with stubby legs "Stool over here suggested we meet his people. Given the only other option was a suspicious kuo-toa that is now gone, I was inclined to accept. The Underdark has been more... Peculiar than usual around these parts lately. Cave-ins, lava flows, the House patrols looking for new slaves seem to be the least of our worries." 

As if suddenly remembering something after having said that, Xunhar moves over to the drow bodies around and collects their house insignias, whispering "This might turn out useful." before moving away.

Varnos bows his head in thanks, slowly rising to his feet as he returned the purple blade to the makeshift holder he had for it. He stretches a little bit, his body readjudting to the lack of pain when he moved around. "Thank you both for that. Now, how exactly does one tell time down here? I've forgotten how long it has been since we actually slept." He wanders around to the other ex-prisoners, checking on how they were doing in the moment.

Quote from Denanstus >>

"Now, how exactly does one tell time down here?" 

 
Xunhar scoffs at that, "Only magic and your instincts will help with that down here. Once I've briefly passed through Menzoberranzan and they used a giant lit-up stalactite for that, the light fading as the day went by." 

"So you have seen Narbondel, an impressive structure I must admit. I myself, as my name suggests, was born in Menzoberranzan but I am now an outcast, by choice I might add."

"Regarding the timekeeping we obviously have no night or day here in the tunnels, as you surface dwellers are used to, but we will find our rythm for eating and resting, trust me, and our speed towards Neverlight grove will depend on the speed of your Myconid friend I suspect. We could try to find a way to cross the darklake, which would be the shortest route there, or we could go around the darklake and thereby pass the Duergar city of blades Gracklstugh."

Xunhar seems surprised at the openness, taking a moment to swallow the information while slowly nodding, "I too am an outcast of my family in Phaundakulzan and Undrek'Thoz far to the east, far too common among our kind it seems. Let's hope their reach does not stretch all the way over here." he sighs "We can scout over to the margins of the lake, see if we can secure transportation, and otherwise start making our way around it. Quite the journey if we come to that, hope your boots are comfortable." 

"Oh, these boots are made for walking Xunhar. Let´s move towards the lake then, after the rest. Regarding drow from Menzoberranzan I have avoided them for many years now, and if we should run in to any more of them I would think we now have the numbers to defeat them again."

Quote from Oberon99 >>

(Thanks again, one more question I´m afraid, does Vierna know a way to take the direct route over darklake, by boat or something, or is the only reasonable way via Gracklstugh.)

 You could construct rafts from available materials (giant mushrooms and such.)

(Thanks again DM, out of questions for now ;-)

"Well if you don't really know when it was the last time you have slept I would say we take a good rest in the cave Vierna found before moving on. Let's have two people awake at all times, however? I can take first watch."