"Hmm, I have this."

Knox pulls out a Flint Shard that he has concealed in a gap in his armour.

Knox nods at Brio's warning about the approaching guards, secreting the Shard back into its hiding place.

"I would like greatly not to be bound and detained, I will join in any escape plan, if that is ok."

Knox stops talking before the guards arrive.

Jhazaal continues his conversation, but has been watching the others and perks up a bit as some of them start to talk of escape.  He thinks to himself that maybe these are all not weaklings after all, maybe some of them would be good to get to know a bit more.  He hears the sound of approaching feet though and knows there will most likely be time for finding out more about these others later.

Three drow guards come into view, one holding what appears to be a vat of gruel.  One of them unlocks the gate while the free one glares watchfully at all of you, and the burdened one drops the vat on the floor.

"Here your morning mash, ibleth," he sneers (first in undercommon, then in heavily accented common.)  "I trust you keep your animal tendencies in enough control to not fight over it."

Jhazaal would wait for his turn, but would try for some of the food when he had his chance to do so.

Giving everyone a look she hoped conveyed tabling the escape talk until later in the day, Vera walks over to where their "meal" was being served and will patiently wait her turn attempting to not stand out to the guards. 

When Brio shows the iron bar, Wendigo appears interested, but he settles down before the guards come. Wendigo takes the food, snarling quietly at the guard who serves it.

Knox waits and watches from where he has been sitting the whole "night", not needing to eat and unwilling to deprive others of their meagre provisions, just to see what it tastes like.

Knox watches the interactions of the various prisoners, trying to glean insights and broaden his understanding of people.

(OOC: Have the guards left or are we about to be shepherded somewhere?  Also how much privacy do we have in general?  Is there a guard always watching us or within earshot?)

(There's always at least one guard posted, although he's not always watching you.  Two of the ones who fed you did remain.)

Most of the other prisoners eagerly crowd around the vat, shoveling gruel into their mouths.  There's a few quarrels and raised voices, but no violence erupting.

Jhazaal, Bupiddo would have been able to tell you the following information.

-If your gear was anywhere, it would probably be in the guard outpost or the high priestess's private chambers.

-He doesn't know the other prisoners terribly well.

If you want, you can roll an insight check.

If anyone else is showing off forbidden possessions at this point, please roll a sleight of hand check to hide it from the guards.

Quote from LordShadowthorn >>

Jhazaal, Bupiddo would have been able to tell you the following information.

-If your gear was anywhere, it would probably be in the guard outpost or the high priestess's private chambers.

-He doesn't know the other prisoners terribly well.

If you want, you can roll an insight check.

 Jhazaal has no reason to doubt anything the other says, he would take it at face value, not like anything was said to dispute.  He didn't know, for sure,w here the items were kept, and he doesn't really know the others.  All fine and good.

At this point, everyone has mostly finished eating.  The guards start gathering everyone up to work for the day, splitting everyone into 3 equal groups.

Wendigo, Jhazaal, the deep gnome twins and Sarith end up in one group, and are set to do the drow's laundry.

The second group consists of Brio, Vera, Jimjar, Dupiddo, Stool and Shuushar, and are set to prepare food.

The third consists of Knox, Hawthorn, Ront, Eldeth, and Prince Derendil, and are set to moving rocks with seemingly no purpose other than the drow's amusement.

For each group, a contingent of three drow warriors watches over you, striking you with whips if you stop working (well, except for Stool.  Kind of hard for him to work in the first place, but he tries.).

Brio bears it watching the guards and the other prisoners carefully 

Vera assists Stool as best she can while preparing the food.  She'll also try and keep an eye out for possible escape routes while she's working or being shuffled from the cell to wherever the food is prepared

Knox nods appreciatively to Hawthorn, as they begin working.

Turning to the Quaggoth, Knox asks.

"Prince Derendil, how did you become cursed? I have never heard of a person being cursed into becoming another creature."

Derendil grunts slightly as he heaves another rock.

"I was cursed by a wizard, he had some sort of vendetta against my family.  I curse him for every second I have to spend in this . . .embarrassing state."

"Why do you find this organic form more embarrassing then your original?"

Knox lifts another rock, carrying it to the indicated destination, before placing down again.

No grunts or straining, just systematic, methodical movements, repeated.

Derendil gives him a strange look.

"My good sir, I'm a lumpy overly muscled brute of a humanoid currently.  A far cry from the slender elf lad I was before."

(I've realized I should probably have included a general description of Velkynvelve.)

The entire compound is made up of rooms carved in the side of a massive cavern, and some additional quarters in several stalactites all connected by spider silk bridges.  The interior is dimly lit by bioluminescent fungi, and the soft sound of running water echoes throughout the cavern.  The entire structure is about 100 feet up in the air, and you think it's concealed from below by spiderwebs.  Your slave pen is in the walls of the cavern, while the guard quarters and priestesses' quarters are located in the hollowed out stalactites.  You've mostly just seen the rooms in the cavern wall, and that's where most of your labor takes place.

(I'll move this first section along fairly quickly, as there will be more time to fully converse with the NPCs later and I want to get you out of the starting area fairly quickly so the adventure proper can start.  I'll post an "after labor" update tomorrow morning, but after that resolves you can continue your conversations.)