Ati ignores his own wound and takes a moment to catch his breath.  He reminds himself that pain is merely an illusion.

"Thanks, Walker," says Vale and the arrow disappears shortly thereafter and the elf continues about the business in hand.

While Vale is out, Lenny finally overcomes his paralysis, his muscles sore but free once again.  A bit over a half-hour after his departure, Vale returns.

Lenny's joy is twofold upon Vale's return: not only had all traces of the ghoul's paralysis vanished both elves were back together as they should be -- even if one, admittedly, was unconscious (again). He had seriously started to wondering if Mr. Silk might have done better to have chosen a traditional elven occupation such as haberdashery or millinery.

Lenny retrieves the potion of invisibility from Sil's pack.

Lenny then takes the daintiest of sips of the light blue potion -- what better way to divine its true nature short of shelling out gold to an alchemist.

"Did you find a possible way out?" is all he risks saying to the second elf. There seemed to be no end to what the baboons could hear.

A sip of the potion makes Lenny feel mildly lightheaded for a moment.  The sensation is not unpleasant, though with such a small dose having been taken, it is naturally short-lived.

Walker took a moment to help rub the stiffness from Lenny's arms and legs and get the little fellow back to his feet. He then asked Vale, upon the elf's return, "Did you notice any light filtering down from above, or coming from anywhere else? How about a place which we might fortify for a camp?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:20, Thu 05 May 2022.

Ati shakes his head silently as he watches Lenny taste-test the potion.  There but for the grace of the gods go I.

"Yes, I found a possible way out. It was a well, like we read about," says Vale. "Hey!" he adds, poniting. "Do we need to do something abbout Thunwin? He's not looking too healthy just now."

"There is nothing we can do but escape," Lenny soberly answers.

Draping Mr. Silk over his shoulders like a lumpy, bloody boa, Lenny prepares to follow Vale to the well that the second elf had discovered.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:48, Thu 05 May 2022.

Vale relates his scouting discoveries.

======
OOC: See sketch map & notes in OOC. Now complete.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:57, Thu 05 May 2022.

Walker looked up from where he was tending to Thunwin and noticed the painting of the baboon which seemed to be watching them. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly began to rise as a terrible thought came to mind.

He quickly tore a couple pieces from the clothing of Thunwin and then stood and stuffed them into the eye holes of the painting. He motioned for the others to make ready to move out.

He helped Ati shoulder Thunwin and then followed Vale towards their chosen destination. As they approached the door through which they'd first arrived, Walker took a moment to inspect it, thinking on the off chance that it might be stronger than the door the baboons had so easily broken down.

While Tybalt examines the door, Ati keeps a roving eye open for unexpected ‘guests.’  After all, they always seemed to drop in when the larder was bare and the mats needed beating.

The doors appear to be in roughly the same condition, the baboons' destruction notwithstanding.  The entry door is wood, and reasonably sturdy, but would not hold up to a protracted assault.

Vale leads you to the well room, past a pair of angled hallways.  The "well room" is covered in pale yellow tiles, and has a fairly high ceiling (25' or so).  In the center of the room is a shallow (5' deep) hole, 5' in diameter; the bottom is covered in muck and wiry hair.  On the ceiling above it is the well itself, which ascends higher than you're able to see.  Hallways run north, south, and east out of the room.

Vale looks round for anything that's changed.

"This is a terrible place for defense..." Walker whispered to his companions. He crept carefully to the edge of the pit and craned his neck upwards to see if his sharp eyes could detect any light from above.

“Agreed that this is a bad place to defend, but at least we have four option, if we need to retreat.”

"I hope that's the well we need," announces Vale. "I wasn't sure if something aggressive might live in the stuff at the bottom, just within out reach, as it were. Might be nothing, but worth being careful. I didin't touch anything here."

Walker nodded, glancing down, "Maybe that's where the water comes from and has just filled in over the ages..."

So far as Vale can tell, nothing about this chamber has changed since his previous visit.

Walker dropped his pack and rummaged for a light coil of silk rope and a grappling hook. He readied a set of pitons into a pouch at his waist and tucked the handle of a hammer into his belt.

"Hold your cloaks at the ready in case I miss. Catch the hook so it doesn't make noise if it falls..."Then, with a wish-me-luck sort of shrug, he tossed the rope upward in an attempt to find some purchase above!

@DM - I'm prepared to elaborate on the process as needed for clarity. I'd kind of like to avoid, at this crucial juncture, any misunderstandings like happened at the cliff. ;-)

With a deft toss, Walker manages to get his hook into the hole in the ceiling.  However, there's no purchase to be found - the hook simply falls back down and into a (presumably) waiting cloak.

Lenny, meanwhile, estimates that your group is approximately 200 feet underground.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:29, Mon 09 May 2022.

"Perhaps we could clear the rubbish in thebottom?" suggests Vale.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:19, Sun 15 May 2022.

Concealing the despair he felt inside, Lenny turns to Walker after his hook fails to find even a hint of purchase in the well shaft and shakes his head.

"There must be another way," he says under his breath, lest a syllable reach the waiting ears of one of the hooters.

Remembering Vale said there was a statue and some frescos just to the east, Lenny considers leading the party (five walking, two cradled) there. Maybe the frescos could cast some light on their predicament.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:09, Mon 09 May 2022.

Walker swore softly under his breath and put his gear away. Per Lenny's assessment of their depth, he didn't think they had enough rope anyway. When he was ready, he borrowed the pole from Nob and handed it to Vale, then readied his bow. If something burst forth from the muck, he might be able to get a few arrows into it quickly.

Nob has a 10' pole... give it a poke.

Lenny pauses. Once before he had disregarded the warning of the second elf; he wouldn't turn a deaf ear to him a second time.

A few gears in his mind turn. Perhaps, the baboons had very specific reasons for defiling the bottom of the well. Might they have been covering something?

If nothing emerges after Vale pokes the well bottom, Lenny will start to shovel it clear, mindful of any angled mirrors at the bottom.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:28, Mon 09 May 2022.