Lia recognises The Prince’s words as elvish, but she doesn’t understand what’s being said. By following his gestures, she gets his meaning well enough though.

She sighs, and offers a smile of thanks anyway, for the attempt.

She suspects he can’t understand her either, but still says “Thank you for trying… We’ll try again when we’ve got our strength back perhaps…”. She makes an effort to weave the concept of ‘thanks, another time’, into the tone, and tune, of her words at least.

Seeing the 'Prince' trying to assist Lia, Galingal nods his head.

"Once camp, will try again. Tools are acceptable. Not good. Acceptable," Galingal says, patting the thieves' tools secured at his waist.

The more free hands, the more likely it is we'll make it to whatever this Darklake is, Galingal thinks to himself.

Lex Survival: 15

While there exist fungi that glow, but otherwise don't provide nutrition or other effects of interest, Lex spots a glow given off by a cluster of nightlight fungi, the tall tubes extending a glowing portion from the tip that gives off bright light. Jimjar explains that they lose their light if harvested, and that they respond to touch. He demonstrates by tapping one of the nightlights, causing it to retract the glowing portion. He taps it again and it emerges.

Topsy manages to collect a piece of ripple bark, a shelf fungus that resembles rotting meat. Fortunately as the Underdark dweller's assure you, it doesn't taste like rotting meat, but it's only a small piece, a couple pounds in weight. 

The other foraging doesn't turn up much, but Galingal does spot an alcove that is accessible with minimal climbing effort, and after he and Sarith check it out, find that it extends fairly deep, large enough to hold everyone. You all pile in, and find it relatively dry considering, with an oblong opening looking out on the 50 ft long chamber you stopped in. 

You're able to settle in for the night, likely needing to huddle together for some amount of warmth, as none of you have clothes beyond your underthings and armor besides Sarith (having put on the dead guard's uniform).

Galingal, if you'd like to make some lock pick checks, you can detail who you wish to attempt on first. 

((I edit to say 'getting damaged'  instead of 'getting damage', and the manipulation police freak out...))

Once they've settled in the cave, Galingal looks at the meager rations that they were able to collect and looks around at the group. His eyes rest on Buppido for a moment. If they don't all survive what troubles lay ahead, the food will end up stretching further. But he puts that thought to the side for now and gets out the thieves' tools.

He sits down by Lia and takes a stab at her manacles first. 

He slips the pick in a searches for the tumblers.

Lia Check: 10  

Then he takes a stab at Stena's manacles.

Stena Check: 18  

And then Eldeth's manacles.

Eldeth Check: 8  

The more warriors with free hands the better.

"With so many, short watches tonight allow more rest." Galingal says. "I can take first watch."

When the party settle down for a rest, Lia thanks Galingal for trying her manacles again, “Thanks, but you know what, I think theses might be busted or something. I’m going to potter around for a bit before bed…”.

She paces around the makeshift camp, but while she does, she pulls out two of the rocks she found. She warms them up using prestidigitation as much as she can, then she scootches over to Topsy and Turvy and hands them one each, miming cuddling them first, for warmth. She gives them a smile. She knows it won’t last the night, but may help them drift off to sleep before the magic wears off. 

After that, she moves over to Galingal again as he begins his watch. “You didn’t find your amulet, eh?… I’m sorry, my friend. I know how that might have felt, if I’d not got my Lyre back… …”. She lets that thought hang there… Then she pulls out the third stone she found. It’s a little smaller than fist-sized, and the smoothest of the three.

She works her magic again over the stone, but this time, it doesn’t get warm, an image appears, as if burned onto it by dragon fire…

The symbol of a raven appears. “Back in the cell, you told me all about your amulet. I don’t know if this could take the place of the focus of your power, but it may provide you with at least a little solace tonight?”.

”The image only lasts an hour, but it’s easy enough to make again, if you ever find you need one!…”.

“Or if that doesn’t ‘work’, I can do this…”. She conjures a small trinket in the palm of her hand: an amulet of metal…

It fizzles out, to nothing, only a few seconds later, the particles seeming to just drift away on a breeze. Maybe that’s long enough to cast a spell, maybe not, she’s not sure. “That one doesn’t last long at all!…”.

”…<sigh>… It’s only simple magics… but you let me know if it helps, or if you’d like another one any time”.

If he wants to, she will work with him to correct the design and the symbol, so they get something that resembles what he once had at least. She leaves him with a decent rock version of his holy symbol on the flat stone.

When they have finished their experiments, she will settle down to sleep, laying on top of her studded leathers. She tells the others she’s normally up early and happy to take last watch.

@DM…

Thom flashes back to his childhood and upbringing when the Prince makes the comment that Thom has no experience being around royalty. oh if you only knew, shithead Thom thinks only to himself.

Thom is almost mesmerized at the environment around him as he is also not used to the underdark. He's never been here before, only heard stories about it. 

If Thom might still be able to or if the need is still there, he'd check for food. Survival: 12

He's been very quiet during the day's travel. He's been reflecting about almost being the spider's dinner and also he can't stop thinking about the horrible shots he made a moment before that. When does he EVER miss a shot like that? 

Anyhow, he's happy to be 'safe' in this moment and is happy to take any watch overnight in the cave the party has found. He doesn't talk much again, still reflecting on his almost-death. 

If a perception check is needed, here it is: 5

As the party is still traveling, Thom manages to find some fairly substantial mushrooms. The are five feet or so high on a light gray stalk, and have a broad gray-green cap. Consulting with some of the folks that live down here, he's told that it's a trillimac , the upper part of the cap can be harvested, cleaned and dried, and used much like parchment or a thin leather. The stalk itself is edible, but only after being soaked in water and then dried. Consumed raw, it will cause the eater to evacuate their bowels. The cluster that Thom finds has three full grown stalks at the moment.

Galingal spends some time working on Lia's manacles before giving up for now and working on Stena's. He has better luck there, springing her free after a short effort, before moving on to Eldeth, but again struggles before setting his picks down to stretch his fingers.

((Re: prestidigitating holy symbol, my initial gut reaction is that it wouldn't work, but I'll see what arguments are out there and see if I'm swayed.))

Sarith trances early, then will remain up with everyone taking a shift in the later half of your 'night'. The remaining rest period passes relatively quietly, the echoing dripping and occasional skitter of movement the only sounds, former slaves alternating in taking watches, and otherwise staying as huddled together as your comfort and trust with one another allows. It's cold, and not the most pleasant of rest, but it is rest all the same. Your first night of freedom only slightly hampered by the conditions and presence of chains and restraints on some of the party.

Eventually everyone rouses, starting to feel antsy about the possible drow pursuit. You got six hours of travel on them last night, and dropping the bridge should have slowed them, but you've been stationary for eight hours now... With the deep elves' reduced need to rest, the could have been steadily making up ground on you while you slept.

You wake feeling stronger* and more determined.

*See OOC!

Stena rubs her wrists and gives Galingal an appreciative nod before being able to put on her armor more freely.

She feels her collar a moment but doesn't linger on it.

She'll help Thom in bringing down the mushroom stalks for eventual consumption.

Stena and Thom harvest 20 pounds of currently inedible stalks.

Do they harvest any of the fungal leather from the cap?

Stena would harvest as much of the cap leather as she could for use as bags and blankets.

Stena gets three 2 foot diameter, slightly convex discs of trillmac leather.

Galingal looks at the stone that Lia gives him and turns it over in his hands and then looks back at the raven image. He stares at it for a moment then looks back at Lia.

"This is gift?" Galingal asks.

He sits for a few moments in silence then looks back at Lia.

"I have no gift before. This is first.," Galingal says again. His common still heavily accented but he's picking up more words and it's coming easier now. 

Then he runs a thumb over the raven image.

"The Raven Queen requires sacrifice. Blood. Death. Then she chooses whether to give power," Galingal says. "A gift will not work."

He nods his thanks once more.

Galingal sits through the first half of the night and then when Sarith rises, Galingal watches him for a moment but then enters his own trance for the remainder of the night.

While he does rest, his meditations are troubled. He sees images of other Shadar-kai, marching, in battle, dying. He sees a bloody raven picking at their bodies, then another raven, and another, all picking at the bodies. They take flight, carrying trophies of the dead. They swirl and turn as they fly, suddenly turning towards Galingal. The ravens fly straight at him, engulfing him in blackness. All is black for a moment. Then a great eye opens. A raven's eye and it stares at him. A voice whispers. I see you. Then he comes out of his meditation. 

She has found him and given him more power. A reminder. But he's still far away and she can't make him go back. 

While the party rouses itself in the morning, Galingal ponders the images. But at the same time he sets about keeping his hands busy, trying the manacles again.

Lia: 16  

Eldeth: 7  

His own collar: 10  

Then the manacles of the twins.

Topsy: 17  

Turvy: 11  

He stops an examines the tools after the attempt with Turvy's manacles. One of the tools; the hook has bent too far.

Galingal, you feel the truth of your words as you tell Lia that a simple image alone would not satisfy the Lady of Ravens. But perhaps Lia's ability to produce such an image would be of aid to you in producing a symbol that you could steep in the sort of sacrifice she would demand to be able to grant you full access to your powers. A template or stencil, as it were. Something to consider and perhaps discuss with the bard.

After a disturbing bout of meditations, you set to work, trying to free Lia, but again failing. You move back to Eldeth, and this time manage to free her after a bit of effort, as well as your own collar. Topsy's manacles prove meddlesome, but not as much as her brother's which end up damaging your tools.

((Mechanically the equivalent of a -1 modifier, but you can just roll as normal, and I'll handle it with the DC side of things. Don't want to double penalize!))

((You'd all also be able to make additional attempts (and can get help from each other) to attempt to break or wiggle free of the manacles, or break the collars.))

Prince Derendil attempts to snap his own collar off, with assistance from Shuushar. STR: 14

Topsy and Turvy help each other try to get free.

Topsy manacles DEX: 12
Turvy manacles DEX: 21
Topsy manacles STR: 17
Turvy manacles STR: 18

Topsy collar STR: 8
Turvy collar STR: 20

Turvy manages to slip his hands out of the manacles, and with his sister's help, wrench the collar apart enough to duck free. He seem slightly less dour to be free, and hugs his sister who is still bound.

Once Stena comes back with the mushroom leather she'll help Eldeth with her collar and hopefully get help from her in return.

Strength on collar: 13

Eldeth helps Stena, but they don't manage to break it. 

Eldeth STR: 20

However, with Stena's help Eldeth is able to break hers.

"You want me to try to break yours too?"

Eldeth STR: 20

She tries, but Stena's collar is sound.

Lia nods to Galingal. She doesn’t pretend to understand divine magic, but what he says makes some sense. She’s pleased, at least, that he liked the present, and the sentiment behind the gesture.

As Lia is organising her things for bed, she places her belongings near her, and lays out the pointy, drow-style studded leather, as a blanket to lay on. She chuckles to herself that laying on studded armour is an upgrade! But she’s thankful to be away from the prison, to have her collar off, and be rid that dreadful mask! 

She’s also thankful to be able to hear and feel the weave around her. Almost wastefully, she spends a few moments prestidigitat-ing herself clean, a luxury she can barely remember!

She thinks back on the last 24-hours. She has been tried and tested in ways she couldn’t imagine: the athletics and acrobatics of the escape; foraging and surviving out here; all things she’s not proficient in in the slightest! But she’s a fast learner, and she feels she’s picking up skills in all those areas already! ((she gains ‘Jack of All Trades’ class ability to add half proficiency to all skills she’s not proficient in)).

As she’s laying there, she listens to the sounds around her: the drip-drip-beat of water dripping off the ceiling, the scritch-scratch of tiny creatures in the distance, and the rumble of The Prince’s quaggothian snores! And she starts to compose in her mind a Song of Rest for this place ((she gains ‘Song of Rest’ class ability to add d6 hp to anyone using hit dice on a short rest)).

In the morning, she tries to break and wriggle out of her manacles, asking for help from whoever is nearby…

DEX check: 13 

STR check: 18 

If she succeeds, she’ll slide into her armour and get ready for the day.

((I think DDB does it automatically, but just a reminder that JoAT gives you half proficiency on Initiative as well!))

Lia's wriggle is almost enough, but her hand cramps up and she has to push it back through.

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

((I think DDB does it automatically, but just a reminder that JoAT gives you half proficiency on Initiative as well!))

Lia's wriggle is almost enough, but her hand cramps up and she has to push it back through.

 
((OOC: Oh yes! That’s true!!! Oh wow that’s pretty cool!! Hey, would it have added anything to the strength and dex ‘checks’ for the manacles too?!))