For continuity's sake, could someone please write a couple of sentences, your specific plan to get back to the surface (even if it's as simple as "we retrace our steps and try not to get killed"). I'm pretty sure I can guess your intentions, but just for the sake of a hypothetical reader following along with our story.
We could use some fresh blood, so I'm reaching out to a couple of potential new players. If you know anyone who would be a good fit, shoot me a PM. I want to keep Hobbet Heroes going strong into 2021 and beyond!
Y'all have reached a tipping point, where you've explored about half of the first dungeon level. Even though you didn't find a big treasure haul this time around, you should feel proud of your progress. Not only have you found the entrances to dungeon levels 2 and 3, but you've also found the locations of the rat, fennec, beetle, and mystery thing lairs. And that knowledge is as valuable as treasure. (Some of you have even dipped your toes into another kind of knowledge.) I tried to design this 1st level of the dungeon with some "replayability" that you could come back to it as higher-level characters. For example an enterprising high-level Druid could become Lord of the Rats if he wanted to.