Chapter 2: Fell Tunnels

Makasi stays back by the cart and looks around.

Ylliane is not a natural tracker. She can follow those who don't know they're being followed, but this is a day old at least so she's most lost. Still, she has a look around as she polishes off the last of the pheasant from the night before.

You look around and seem to find a lookout post up in a tree. It seems there this is a place someone expects things to happen often. The rest of you look around for where a person using such a lookout post could have gone, but struggle to do so.

Starting at the location Hrafe found for the lookout, Ylliane looks around for evidence of the coming and going of whoever uses the post. She eventually finds a shoe indentation in the dirt heading deeper in. As the group follows it for about 10 minutes, the pathway abruptly ends. Looking around, it seems there is a trap door built into the ground, but how can it he opened?

"I might be able to get past quietly using my assassin's training," Edgar proposes the rest of the group. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to break in somewhere."

"Sounds good, we can always use the axe as a last resorr."

What does the party think? If 3 people vote yes, Edgar is good to roll. On a 20 or higher, he will locate the lock and get it open. On a failure, he will get a choice: open the lock but do so loudly, or do not open the lock and his tools get damaged. If you do roll, add DC 20 to the reason column and you'll get a check or x next to the result to easily tell what happened.

Edgar tries to quietly unlock the trapdoor. It does not go as he wishes though, he slips and bumps into the door as he puts away the tools, making a horrible racket.

Hrafe picks up the trap door and hurls it open. "If we move swiftly we may yet catch them offguard." Securing his rope around his leg Hrafe strikes a torch and fast ropes downward, dropping the torch as soon as he begins to slide down his rope. He arms himself with using the handle of the axe as a brake to arrest his momentum.

Makasi leaps in after Hrafe. "No don't do anything stupid, Hrafe!" she whispers, knowing the words will fall on deaf ears.

As Edgar opens the trap door, he notices that it swings inwards, not outwards, but does so just a second too late. It takes him a little longer than he would want to admit, but he does get it open. A loud thud echoes into the vertical tunnel below the door as it hits the wall inside. The element of surprise is not much of an option if there is anyone nearby. Each of you decent by whatever means, though each of you that analyze before going in notice there is a ladder used to get in and out which seems sturdy.

After you enter, you realize it is about a 20 foot drop before entering a very narrow room which immediately opens to a large open area. There isn't any room to go unseen upon descending. You see six individuals, two humans, two high elves, and two half orcs. They look to all be staring at the door, likely alerted by the thud and wanting to see who was coming down. Upon seeing it is you, one of them says, "Intruders!" It seems hostility is unavoidable. The humans and half orcs draw maces and prepare to approach, while the elves pull out light crossbows and reload. See here for the battlemap. As of now, everyone is near everyone, except for the elves who are just far away enough to be far.

You will find the active initiative in the link, but here is the static initiative
Initiative:
Edgar
H1
Ylliane
H2 & E1 & HO1
Hrafe & Makasi
E2 & HO2

Edgar teleports down the hole, and upon seeing several targets, disappears back into the shadows.

Edgar appears at the bottom of the shaft and sees one of the people yell Intruder! as the rest of the party descends, he disappears from sight.

Ylliane sheathes her longbow and descends safely. Upon seeing the people draw their weapons, she uses her quick action to redraw her longbow and fire at Elf 1.

Makasi follows Ylliane's lead and keeps her weapon strapped to her back as she climbs down. At the bottom, she retrieves the halberd just in time to dodge the half-orc's blow. She returns the fiend's attack with the point of the pole arm.

"Too late to surrender. Any last words?"

Hrafe was in the best position to go berserk, the enemy was trapped in a hole with him, and his comrades. He saw the man working up to a powerful attack, and attacked him with the lion's share of his rage.