It takes some fiddling about, but Thom eventually finds that by pressing in just the right place, the end of the dagger can be swiveled, revealing a hollow portion below the tang. There is a bit of fabric wrapped around a hair clip with a spider motif on it. Doesn't seem like the sort of thing that a drow male would wear, but perhaps it was stolen or gifted from one of the priestesses?

"I think that's the only way it can talk... though it's not quite talking, more like thinking?"

As the rest of the afternoon whiles away, the scent of roasting meat continues to waft your way, where some of you haven't had anything more than thin mushroom broth for the last week or so. Two quaggoth accompany the urn of broth, one lugging the pot and the other carrying an armload of bones that have remnants of roast meat still clinging to them. Jorlan trails behind with the bowls and the ladle. The quaggoth nibble some meat from the bones and lick their lips, laughing in your direction, before departing to their quarters. Jorlan sidles up to the bars and begins filling bowls of broth.

He whispers in Elvish.

Stena looks at Thom when he asks about 'freakish monsters' and snorts without a hint of mirth.

Stena nods, a bit pleased that it seems the others are managing to arm themselves even if she can't.

She watches the delivery of food with narrowed eyes and moves closer to Stool.

Thom would give the dagger and what he found in the compartment back to whomever had it originally. "There. Done and done. Not sure what the heck that is though, do you?" 

About the fungus being able to communicate, Thom says to Stena and Eldeth "Uh.. any chance I'd be able to try it out? Get it to tell me something."

(LOL, 'try it out')

@Spider, is Jorlan talking to anyone in specific? Sarith? Or is he just saying it to everyone in the pen that can understand him?

((Somewhat directed at Sarith, since he'd broached it with him, but it was with the intent to see if you were all on board, so he's just kind of asking it to the room.))

"Ye can ask Stool, we don't decide whether or not it wants to use it."

Stool extends two tendrils from under his cap and places them against the sides of his cap rocking side to side in the manner in which a child might stick fingers in their ears and pretend they can't hear an adult telling them to do something.

((He can't understand anything folks are saying/thinking if his spores aren't up. You can attempt to communicate via pantomime, however.))

"Hmmm..." Thom responds to Stena. "Alright, lemme give it a shot, yeah?" he stands up, and since Stool can't hear him, Thom would point at Stool numerous times, then point at himself numerous times, then use both hands and mimic mouths talking, like opening and closing fingers and thumb together.

Thom would respond to Jorlan, in elvish "Yes. We all are. Do it. Now. It'll make the mistress REALLY upset if you do it now, yeah?"

"Come on, man. Just leave the gate open when you walk away. Or come with us. Whatever. Just open the gate."

Persuasion 19

Galingal takes the dagger back, taking the fabric and balling it up into his hand. He then shows the dagger to Stool and mimes hiding it, placing it under his arm and pressing it to his body. Then offers it back to Stool hoping he will hide it in his pouch again.

Then when Jorlan speaks, he moves quickly to the bars and speaks back in elvish.

"Yes, in," Galingal says. "All in."

When he's sure the quaggoth have left, he takes a breath, wondering if this is the right thing to do. He then nods to himself and opens his hand slightly showing the fabric and hairclip from the dagger to Jorlan.

"Do you know these?" Galingal asks "Help get by spiders?" 

"So sorry i am kinda shut in, last time that tried to run away from a prison it... aahh it didn't ended well...mainly for me, sooo I will just leave all the planning to all of you, I might be able to get some qu...aaaa...l..oth? yeah that silk from those things, besides just tell me what to do, meanwhile" Io runs to Lia
"Sooo how does your race work? I never meet any one like you, are you all usually with the ability to do some kind of magic? How long do you tend to live? What are your main cities? and countries? What's the architecture looks like? aaahhh what's the usual political status? I don't need food nor sleep, I need answers!!"

Stool waves his tendrils in a mimicry of Thom, but it's not clear if he got your intent.

Jorlan furtively shakes his head at Thom and responds in elvish.

Galingal succeeds in getting Stool to tuck away the dagger before he shows the things to Jorlan as the drow is passing bowls of broth through the bars.

 Io continues to have misconceptions about quaggoth biology.

Stena shrugs in Thom's direction.

"It'll work when we need it to. Also, it can see and hear you talk, if not understand you. Try asking, less dancing."

Thom shakes his head in confusion when the fungus stars waving its tendrils around. He says to Stena "Yeah, ok. sure thing. I'll keep that in mind, yeah?" and kind of dismisses it as he is now 100% focused on Jorlan.

Thom responds to Jorlan in elvish:

 And this part he whispers in elvish to him:

In response to the whisper, he hands Thom the last bowl of broth and replies.

 "Oh, hey!" Jimjar has just finished his broth, reaches into his bowl and holds up an iron key.

Thom says under his breath un utter annoyance by the gods

Then he says to Jorlan "....really?"

Thom then says to Jimjar "Perfect. Give it here."

Jimjar eyes you up and down. "Why should you be the one to hold it? Tell you what... let's make it interesting. You call it in the air, if you win, I give you the key, but if I win, what am I getting from you?"

He grins as he rolls a copper coin across his knuckles.

Thom sighs in annoyance of Jimjar. 

"You wanna open the door, fine." Thom would then explain to Jimjar and everyone else who doesn't understand elvish what Jorlan has said. 

"Jorlan gave us a key to escape. Jimjar over there has it. We are to wait for the guard shift change, and then Jorlan will cause some distraction or something like that yeah? And then that is when we go. Everyone understand? This is our only chance yeah? Let's make the most of it. Live or die, I'm done being a prisoner here, yeah?"

"Oh, he also said he thinks we should try and make it as close to the waterfall as possible. And aim for the pool below. Not sure exactly what he means but yeah, that's what he said. Anyhow, it's going to be chaotic when it all goes down. We can try and stick together, yeah?"

Galingal begins making his way through the group, seeking out Stool again.

"When is shift change?" Galingal asks the room in common and then elvish. "Soon?"

He thinks a moment about the waterfall that has been talked about.

"Before waterfall, need find amulet," Galingal begins then continues "and best find tools. Open shackles."

As he says the last he rattles the shackles on his wrists.

"Maybe drow keep trinkets. Priestess keep maybe."

"Ooh, you're no fun. I don't want it."

3 

11

He tosses the key to Io.

Io looks at Thom with a sad expression
"We won't be able to rescue anyone more right?" she picked something from her eye and threw it away, it was a small ice ball that broke itself on the moment of impact with the ground
"Frozen tears won't do me any good, they never do" she stopped beeing close to Lia and started walking to Thom"Promisse me, promisse me we will return and free them if you do that I shall follow all orders without regard any... aahh"
"What was that thing that the wierd dude did with my dad, orders yeah.. aahh regard any aahh.... my safety? nah that's too much aahhh what do i say i can't make this wierd!" she thought
"complain i might have PROMISSE ME THAT THOM!"

Thom responds to Galingal "Yeah. Soon I think. Later tonight, yeah? What about an amulet now?"

Thom sighs and responds to lo "Yeah. Sure. I promise. Hey, let's try that key on the shackles now to see if it unlocks them too, yeah? Jorlan said to wait to unlock the gate. Not the shackles. Here."

and he extends his shackles out to her for her to try the key.