((How many drow are we looking at? And how is the split between guards and merchants?))

Stena responds as quietly,

"Threats won't last round the next bend in the tunnel."

She watches the guards closely and continues (Spider's response depending but probably?),

"Not likely to get them all, even if we manage not to get ourselves killed."

((Lead merchant, six guards, three giant lizards, three lizard handlers/laborers.))

"Aye don't like the Drow, but aye don't like our odds here either. Threatening them will only let them know we know what they're about."

Galingal thinks for a moment, watching the merchant and his laborers sort through their wares to find what the party has asked for. He hasn't spent enough time outside Letherna, at least not enough time outside not hunting down the Queen's enemies. Interacting with others beyond fighting them is a struggle. He sees something similar in Stena. She will fight but this situation is not in her expertise either. He moves back to find Lia and Thom. 

He quietly explains to them his thoughts that the merchant is likely to sell out their location and direction as soon as he can make a coin of the information. Killing them is an option, but risky if they don't get them all. Threats won't hold. 

"Do nothing? Just double speed as long as can after leave?" Galingal whispers to them. "You two better with people. What do you think?" 

Stena just stands and tries to look as much like someone you wouldn't want to cross as she can physically emote without looking openly threatening.

Thom would stay back and eventually just watch the transactions taking place, he is quite wary of the situation but feels better when Galingal seems to basically run the show and return with the trading information. He's very pleased with getting some boots and proper clothes, and also would've agreed with Lia "ah yes mates, if they got any arrows that'd be fab, yeah? Those ones back there that were bad I had to break, so I could go for a replenishment." 

Thom holds in a laugh and covers it up with a cough when Galingal mentions that Lia and him might be better with people. He replies "Well... I mean I don't feel all that comfortable just slaughtering them yeah? But if it means the drow finding out about us or our location, then heck, off with their heads, yeah?!"

He laughs awkwardly and tries to hide behind the fact that he didn't really suggest anything either way. 

He'd go with whatever the party decided. 

(are we splitting up those 20 arrows?)

((@Spider thanks for putting up with my slower play, this game is totally cool and Thom is still 100% on board, just work is trumping d&d for the time being but this is a blast!))

As Galingal passes along the requests on behalf of the party, the drow merchant directs his underlings to open various packs from the backs of the giant lizards, which have all settled their bellies on the cave floor in the meantime. The six guard have grounded the butts of their spears, but remain alert.

"It may not be the height of fashion, and it may not all match, but it's clean, dry, and in good repair."

He directs some of the underlings to unfold a small table, onto which he piles three sets of assorted clothing that would fit smaller folks (Buppy, Eldeth, and Jimjar), as well as six sets of cloths for larger folks (Lia, Stena, Thom, Galingal, Lex and the currently hiding Sarith).

"You say you want something oversized, like a robe? It's not likely to stay clean down here, but I do have a fine fluffy robe that would wrap you in opulent luxury...?"

He produces a large fluffy robe that would fit Derendil's frame.

"Boots I've got an assortment of, they'd be five silver on their own, or included in the two gold for the full outfit, you may need to try them on to find ones that fit."

Assuming you take it in turns to try on boots, you're all able to find something large enough to fit without pinching, though a few of you might end up needing to stuff the toes with a bit of rag or fungus to make them more comfortable. The clothes are a bit mismatched, and are clearly formerly owned, and you can't help but wonder, but if there was any blood, dirt or rips, they've all been expertly cleaned and repaired.

The drow provides two more packs, but shakes his head at the ten waterskins. "I've not got that many with me, best I can do is five. I can throw in a second bundle of arrows to square things off though?"

Jimjar speaks into Stena's mind through the spore-link. <I've also got those gems the goblin leader was carrying, if there's anything else we need from this guy... but it's gone better than I expected, I kind of just want to get going and put as much distance between us and them as possible as soon as possible.>

 ((@Klein, I didn't doubt you were still in, glad folks are enjoying things, I'm having run running my first real published module, and may do more in the future. I've liked the homebrew custom world stuff I've done before this, but having the module to fall back on as at least an outline lowers the bar to jump over as the DM!))

Stena doesn't take her eyes off the Drow when she answers Jimjar,

<Bringing out those gems is just going to change whatever math the Drow are using that keeps them from attacking us outright. I agree that we move fast once this deal is done, get to Darklake.>

There is a pause before she adds, grudgingly,

<Check with Galingal. The elf is somehow leading this party for now.>

((Having done both homebrew and published as dm I completely agree. The load on me as a DM with a premade is significantly reduced by having the framework to go off of.))

Galingal slips on the boots and clothing quickly. The sooner they're clear of this merchant the better. 

He had already picked up a waterskin from the goblins, so passes the ones they do have to anyone without one to carry.

He passes the robe over to Thom for safekeeping for now.

"Thank you for your goods," Galingal says to the merchant. "We have delayed you enough. Let us help speed you on your way."

If the merchant doesn't object, Galingal will help speed up the loading of the giant lizards.

He thinks about asking if they have dried food rations, but that would mean bringing out those gems and also tipping off how very desperate their situation is.

Back when Galingal asked Lia for her and Thom’s thoughts, she whispers back to those around her in a relaxed fashion, “If they find the drow that are hunting us soon, then they were already on the right track, and we’ve lost nothing… …If they meet up with them a few days back, then we’ll already have double that on our pursuers anyhow…”.

”They do little harm alive, either way… … And I too don’t like our odds here”.

”I say let them go about their business. They are not quick, laden down as they are”. She nods to confirm her thoughts on the matter and as if to say ‘for what it’s worth’, maybe a little apologetically.

Lia is then happy to get kitted out from these merchants, and head off casual… but then book it, as soon as they are out of sight! She would vote to continue at a fast pace, for the rest of the day…

Lia will also stay at the back again, for now, and try to check behind, to make sure the ‘merchants’ (or anything else) don’t try and ambush the party as we continue on our way…

Perception: 13 

Jimjar nods and keeps the gems in their pouch.

To the offer to help them pack up, the drow's eyes narrow a bit before he gives a wide grin and waves his hand. "No need, no need. I appreciate the offer, but we'll do a bit of repacking anyway. Don't fret on our part."

"Oh, if it's been while since you came this way, there's a three-way fork up ahead. The left and right center will come back together farther on, and both will end up in Sloobludop. I'd avoid going there and take the right fork instead, I can vouch for the tunnels being clear of hazards, we just came down from that way."

The drow that had been scribing during the sale closes up the book and tucks it into one of the packs, and the three laborers begin re-packing the giant lizards, shifting some of the loads around to better distribute the weight.

"Good doing business with you, and remember, right at the fork!"

If you linger about, it takes them another ten minutes or so to get packed up and on their way, if you depart, then some time after the drow leave the cavern, Sarith and Derendil catch up to you from behind, having to wait for the drow to depart the cavern.

"How'd it go? The... Prince and I were near enough to hear if a fight broke out, but I wanted to make sure we didn't make things worse..."

Insight on the merchant's directions: 9

"Fine. Galingal got ye clothes. Walk and talk. Those merchants are going to be telling everyone they meet about us."

As they move she has her eye on the ground to see what kind of trail the merchant's left so she can confirm the path they used.

Survival: 20

((oh wow, yeah I can't imagine the time it would require to create and manage a homebrew campaign or even a single adventure. Although it must be pretty cool to totally create something like that.))

Thom says to Lia about killing the drow "Agreed, Ma'am. There are a lot of them. Well, let's see what Galingal manages to get for us, yeah?!" and he waits enthusiastically as the others finish up the trading.

He remains quiet when he's trying on the boots (if he was ever around the drow traders he'd say nothing to them) and takes a few short but fast sprints to get used to the feel of the boots. 

"Ah, much better, yeah?" and then he remembers that Stena prefers no shoes and stops that thought. 

After the drow leave, Thom says to Galingal and Stena "So... right at the fork, yeah? That's what they said, didn't they?" Thom is assuming the drow are telling the truth and doesn't bother to actually think about it. He's really anxious to get out of here. (if Thom didn't hear the drow say that part, he'd just fall in line at the back with Lia, waiting for Galingal to lead/continue on.)

He'd say once they started walking "Hey, Galingal mate. Thanks! These boots are great."

(how many arrows did we get total? Thom would ask to take as many as he can get)

He keeps an eye out as Stena gives her warning to the Prince and Sarith that the traders will likely tell others about us. "Not to worry Stena, I'll keep a close watch behind us, yeah?" and he tries hard to confidently nod at her.

((I think we got one quiver / 20 arrows. Happy to share with anyone who wields a bow. Who is that? Lia, Thom, Stena… anyone else? Just an even split of whoever uses them I’d say)). 

((Stena is fine on arrows now, over 30 left. If we use up a lot she'll take some but now she won't go around asking.))

Stena tightens her news boots on and gives Thom an odd look as he hops around like a child before stopping and acting stranger than normal and shooting her glances.

To Thom's comment on the path,

"They said right. Whether or not we go right is another question."

Stena just rewards Thom's promise to watch their backs with a slow exhalation of air from her nose and a hint of a nod.

She mutters in dwarven to Eldeth,

"I don't doubt it. All the more important that we get moving.", Sarith replies in Undercommon.

Stena, between you weighing the drow's words and the traces you're picking up when the party gets to the forked tunnel, you think that he was telling the truth about where they came from, but suspect he's directing you to the right for his own reasons. Whether that is as simple as being able to tell any possible pursuit where you went, keeping you from going to the kuo-toa town of Sloobludop itself, or directing you into some hazards, you're not sure. But you don't feel like he said it with pure intentions.

At the fork, Sarith pauses before gesturing to the center branch.

((You got two bundles of arrows, as he only had 5 waterskins.))

Eldeth responds,

Thom to Stena "Right!"

Stena conveys what she reads of the situation and the trail to Galingal and supplements that with,

"Going to the path recommended by that Drow is going to somehow benefit him more than us, but it is at least clear."

Back to Eldeth

Lia receives the arrows (x40). She fills her quiver, taking fourteen, then she’ll pass the rest (x26) to Thom for now. Thanking him again for sharing his with her before.

((She’s happy to share arrows with anyone else, but I can’t remember who (other than Stena, who’s full) uses a bow of the top of my head)).