Thunk listens to everything.  Thunk does not understand it all but he listens to it all. Some passes right into one of Thunk's ears and out the other but some sticks...

     Thunk relaxes and stops trying to break his chains.  Thunk seems a bit put off on the game being ended but Thunk sulks quietly.  Thunk sits meekly in his spot with his head down and waits.

(Bizm)

"We'll keep an eye out for resources. I've got a bit of rope, we could tie up a guard to buy some time if needed. Drow in my experience don't have a strong sense of loyalty, so we can probably find some that want to turn on our captors"

"That could help. Anyone else have anything? I have a piece of sharpened rock that can be used as a weapon." Drogen whispers.

"I have nothing," Tanis admits, "though if I can get my hands on one of those hand crossbows the drow use, I'm not bad with those."

"I speak Elvish, Dwarvish, Gnomish and Undercommon, so ah... well, maybe the group translator job is open..."  Tanis is clearly being self-deprecating and ironic, but it makes him think of something.  He addresses the myconoid sprout, Stool.  "Do you have a language we can speak to you in, friend?"

Both Thunk's and Drogen's efforts are ineffective against the manacles chaining their hands. Jimjar looks at them and gestures them to stop, adding in common "stop that, I know it can be done. The tallest prisoner I know was able to break her chains, but the drow noticed and fed her to the giant spiders below."

Arokas doesn't see anything useful in the cell. The drow left you there wearing only rags.

Sarith, the drow prisoner, turns his head to Bizm and replies in undercommon "some drow are more loyal than others, but I agree that the ones here are ready to turn on anyone." He scratches behind an ear and continues "mistress Ilvara has a new favorite. She used to give perks to Jorlan, but since he got his face injured she has scorned him and now Shoor seems to be second in command."

Stool waddles over to Tanis. It hums and releases a cloud of spores which cover a 10 foot radius area around it. Tanis (and everyone else that was close enough) inhales some of them and begins to hear a voice in his head "Stool has many languages inside, but Stool has no mouth to speak them. Would you be Stool's friend?" the myconid wobbles expectantly.

OOC: while chained the have disadvantage in attack rolls and dexterity saving throws. Attackers against you have advantage.
OOC 2: languages are going to be a theme here, please indicate which one you are using when speaking.

Arokas weakly smiles over at Tanis and speaks in Common. “Well, guess I didn’t expect languages would be something I’d be useful in. I currently know Elvish, Dwarvish, Undercommon, Draconic, and even Deep Speech.” He pauses for a second, staring off into the distance, before addressing Drogen. “I’ve got nothing here. All I’ve got are my clothes, since I didn’t have much before I got here, and I haven’t found anything lying around to help.”

(Bizm)

In undercommon

"Translation might be good, I know he's speaking surface common, but I don't know how to speak it"

     At the mention of giant spiders Thunk looks at Thunkster suspiciously for a moment.  “Nooooo,” Thunk says in Common.  “Thunkster not eat Thunk.  Thunkster giant but little. Thunk too big.”

     Thunk giggles when the big mushroom wobbles about but Thunk not close enough to hear.  

(common) "Only fluent in common and dwarvish myself. Maybe if any of us gets the opportunity to leave this cave, we should keep an eye out for anything useful."

Tanis is taken aback at Stool's apparent spore-driven telepathic power.  He has never experienced the like.  He thinks back, telepathically:

I will be your friend, Stool, though there is little I can do to help you yet.  Is it possible for you to do what you just did with the spores as often as you like?  Not all of us speak the same language.  So if and when we try to escape (not yet!), if we can all speak telepathically without noise, it will help.

To the others, he helps translate what's been said for those who cannot understand, in turn, in common, dwarvish, gnomish and undercommon.  He adds at the end, "I know these languages, along with Common and Draconic, whereas Arokas also knows Deep Speech instead of Gnomish.  So we should be covered.  But the myconoid sprout here may have an even better alternative for communication which our captors won't hear."

(Once again, translating in necessary languages, common, dwarvish, gnomish, undercommon etc... Tanis wonders if he should include common, since it is for the orcs and he is not sure he wants Ront as an ally, but Thunk seems as if he might have promise...)

He considers addressing the Quaggoth (Derendil) who thinks himself an elven prince next, but first waits to hear Stool's response.

Stool wobbles happily at Tanis "Stool has a friend! Stool can't speak all the time, just a few times before resting." The spores around it are still floating in the air and as Arokas walks into them he too can hear the telepathic communication. Picking up that Tanis wants to scape, the myconid adds "Stool wants to go back home to Neverlight Grove, Stool knows which way home is, but can't go alone." You notice that while you have to touch the spores to gain this temporal telepathy, you can walk as far as 30 ft from one another and keep communicating.

Meanwhile, both Topsy and Turvy sit by themselves in the corner farthest away from the door muttering in low whispers.

Hearing the mention of home from Stool, Arokas stops. “Home,” he mutters to himself in Deep Speech, not very quietly but still in a low voice, “that’s not something I’ve had in years.”

Tanis closes his eyes.  Just a tenday ago, I was enjoying hot, savory mushroom broth in the barracks with my brothers and sisters in arms, and now here I am trying to parley with a sentient mushroom.  I suppose I never thought of it from the mushroom's point of view...

Towards Stool, he thinks telepathically  Neverlight Grove.  I will remember.  I am from Icewind Dale.  But we are long way from any of us returning home.  We may die in this cell, or be slain while escaping, or perish in the Underdark thereafter.  But in the meantime, let us be friends and help each other.

He turns to Derendil, the quaggoth who thinks himself an elven prince.  In elvish, quietly:  "What of you, my prince?  Will you bide your time with us and then work together to escape?  You must wish to return home as well.  Or rid yourself of your curse?"

Tanis avoids the topic of whether "home" for the quaggoth is among elves (who he doubts would accept him) or quaggoths.

Derendil answers in the most refined elvish you have heard in a long time "I will pull my weight in our escape, my people of Nelrindenvane must be feeling lost without my guidance. Never would I've envisioned that our subterranean relatives would be so treacherous as to curse me to look like their brute slaves."

Tanis and Drogen, having spent a few extra days in prison, know that there is another holding cell next to yours housing a dozen quaggoth. These bear-like humanoids are slaves to the drow at the outpost are remarkably strong and not very intelligent, but able to understand and reply to commands in undercommon. They react aggressively to strangers other than drow and giant spiders.

Quote from Tybard >>

Tanis is taken aback at Stool's apparent spore-driven telepathic power.  He has never experienced the like.  He thinks back, telepathically:

I will be your friend, Stool, though there is little I can do to help you yet.  Is it possible for you to do what you just did with the spores as often as you like?  Not all of us speak the same language.  So if and when we try to escape (not yet!), if we can all speak telepathically without noise, it will help.

To the others, he helps translate what's been said for those who cannot understand, in turn, in common, dwarvish, gnomish and undercommon.  He adds at the end, "I know these languages, along with Common and Draconic, whereas Arokas also knows Deep Speech instead of Gnomish.  So we should be covered.  But the myconoid sprout here may have an even better alternative for communication which our captors won't hear."

(Once again, translating in necessary languages, common, dwarvish, gnomish, undercommon etc... Tanis wonders if he should include common, since it is for the orcs and he is not sure he wants Ront as an ally, but Thunk seems as if he might have promise...)

He considers addressing the Quaggoth (Derendil) who thinks himself an elven prince next, but first waits to hear Stool's response.

 ((I'm not sure if Tanis is translating to Common and wondering if he should be since it includes the Orcs... Or if he's not translating to Common since he doesn't know if he trusts the Orcs or not...  But Tanis could easily notice that Thunk pays as much attention to him when he speaks Common as he does when he speaks Dwarvish.))

     Thunk plays with his spider.  Thunk talks to his spider.  Thunk talks quietly, not wanting to hurt Thunkster's tiny spider ears.  Thunk raises his eyes and looks at others occasionally, when Thunk hears a language he understands.  Thunk doesn't always understand even when he understands but Thunk pays attention when he does.  But mostly Thunk plays with his spider and waits...

Bizm starts keeping tallies of individuals, what their strengths are, who gets picked for which duty, the languages she knows the others speak. Committing it to memory like it's her spellbook

((Tanis was indeed translating to Common, along with the other languages, just second guessing himself while doing so.  But he would pick up that Thunk does seem to understand Dwarvish, and might start skipping Common since he is suspicious of Ront.))

Tanis nods respectfully to Derendil, leaving well enough alone whatever strange thing is going on with the quaggoth-elf.  He lets the others know in dwarvish and undercommon that the powerfully-built Derendil has agreed when the time comes to pull his weight, which is quite substantial.

Tanis' knowledge of lands other than the Icewind Dale is spotty at best.  He briefly tries to recall if he has ever heard of the supposed elven kingdom of Nelrindenvane that Derendil mentioned but quickly gives up the futile effort.  History:  8.

He thinks of speaking to Topsy and Turvy next, though he figures that is best left to Bizm and perhaps Jimjar.  Instead he looks warily at Sarith.

(In Undercommon):  "It is good information you provided just now, regarding Mistress Ilvara and the two male drow.  Are they her lieutenants?  And I have to ask what everyone must be wondering before suggesting we work together... I believe most of us are here for the 'crime' of being captured by drow while not being drow ourselves.  But that clearly is not the case for you.  I'm surprised they put you in here with us."

Tanis does not mention the that Sarith is apparently accused of murder, not wishing to offend and hoping the dark elf volunteers his thoughts on it.

Arokas sits back and listens to everything that he understands. He knows he isn’t smart enough to come up with a plan to escape, so he leaves that to the others. Looking at Derendil, Arokas tries to sense any kind of magical influence on him. Arcana: 2

Bizm will approach Topsy and Turvy, suspicious of their self isolation.

She'll say "Hello" in undercommon and gnomish