Chapter One: The Iron Sphere of Sthombo

To Frekki Mornraven and Leth Everwood, he was Uncle Ed, the wandering hunter and adventurer who saved them both from a vicious pair of wilding hill giant youths one fall evening on the road from Dule, with nothing more than a smoke bomb and one well-thrown javelin. He brought them back to his camp that night, cooked them squirrel, and drew out story after story of Frekki's time in the army of Dule and Leth's particular knowledge and insights of the woodlands of Bload's north coast.

To Carillion Tintinnabulum and Felor of the Mountain, he was Mayor Kells, who welcomed them into his tiny village when it seemed everyone else they encountered was telling them to go back to Jerma. He learned conversational Dwarvish from Carillion and spoke it with perfect grammar and a comically bad accent, he spent long wine-soaked nights talking to Felor about his dreams of Fjorgyn and what they might portend.

To Tzipporah Vulgaris and Vad Fekete, he was Edvers Kells, a concerned citizen who vouched for the fact that their dubious enterprise in the back room of the Alehouse of the Intertwined Sea-Worms in Sthombo could, perhaps, be described as a confidence game, but it certainly didn't involve magic, how ridiculous, he had seen the whole thing and there hadn't been any sorcery or witchcraft involved, the so-called "victims" were merely bitter about having been so credulous. He paid the fines their sentences had been reduced to on the condition that they come back to his village and show his daughter Zora a cantrip or two.

So it was on this gray and rainy morning in late summer that these six individuals stood to witness his execution and bear his body away afterward. Of his family, the residents of the tiny village he founded, and his adventuring companions, none dared be seen supporting him in this hour. And it did not go unremarked that only outlanders, outcasts, and suspected criminals would still stand by him now.

For the ancient treasure of Sthombo was missing, the Iron Sphere cast down by nameless gods of the heavens in primeval times, and there were witnesses who had seen Edvers Kells skulking about the shrine where it was kept, and others who had seen him leaving Sthombo by oxcart in the dead of night shortly before the theft of the Iron Sphere and the murder of those who guarded it was discovered, and though his village and his townhouse and his hunting cabins had been torn to the very foundations and nothing had been found, the justiciars hired by the Tetrarchs of Sthombo to investigate the crime found him guilty of sacreligious theft and murder.

Despite the weather, a crowd of about two hundred has gathered in the Old Temple Square to watch the execution. The six who would still count themselves among Edvers Kells' friends stand on a platform off to one side, with a disinterested and inattentive pair of guards posted nearby to keep the crowd from turning on them.

He is unable to walk unassisted to his appointed place; he has been tortured extensively in the hopes he might reveal where he hid the Iron Sphere. One justiciar guides him to a kneeling position while another reads out the list of charges he has been convicted of. High profile as it is, only one Tetrarch has bothered to make an appearance at this execution: apparently Lord Vaun drew the short straw. He stands on the temple steps with his retinue, bouncing on his heels restively.

The third justiciar slices the air a few times with his massive ritual knife, exercising his arm. A few voices in the crowd angrily cry out for Edvers to reveal the location of Sthombo's lost treasure while he still has breath, but most of them just seem to be here for the show.

(You have time for one action, or some observations, before the execution takes place. Please note, for the heroically minded, there is no way to stop this without being set upon by numerous guards and an angry mob, and even if he were saved, it's unlikely Edvers will survive much longer anyway)

Carillion bows his head sadly. "a trial this shoddy would never have been allowed back home. We value Justice rather than vengeance. but i suppose a quick solution for a wrong is required by ones who live less than a hundred years."

"be strong my friend, face your end bravely"

the dwarf shakes his head sadly, and the bells braided into his beard tinkle. Kells feels a strong, comforting hand on his shoulder.

Carillion will cast unseen servant, which will stay on the opposite side of wherever the justiciar is. mainly to lend emotional support, but also to mercy kill the prisoner if this gets out of hand"

Felor recalls that the Iron Sphere is old and round and probably made of iron.

Tzipporah, however, knows that the Iron Sphere has been around since before Sthombo was called Sthombo, that it is about two and a half feet in diameter, and that it has gone through many changes since it was first found. Said to originally have been a solid lump of iron, over the centuries it has smoothed, etched with symbols, cut in half, hollowed, possibly melted and reforged entirely, and kept hostage in Hazard for thirty years. It has been rumored to contain treasures or demons, or to be the egg of a race that dwells beyond the stars, or to contain a perfect replica of the cosmos sealed within it. None of these esoteric theories have much credibility, and the Tetrarchs of Sthombo seem to be treating its loss as a grievous insult and wound to their civic pride, but not an existential crisis.

"If the stories are true about the Iron Sphere of Sthombo it could be an object of great power. But more then likely our friend is dying over pride and ego, Felor. I'd like to find that sphere and use it to bash in the heads of the Tetrarch."

Frekki shifted her weight nervously from side to side. Her brow was furrowed and she frowned severely as she look on the crowd in growing disgust. She wanted to act, to do anything at all, but for once in her life she felt helpless. Locked in, and forced to watch one of the few people she admired be cut down unjustly. She balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking, hiding in her over-sized cloak, rain rolling off the leather. To Frekki, the rain showed that her gods were present at the execution, though whether or not it pleased them was beyond her ken.

For Frekki, it is all she can do to do nothing. "Damn this all, this whole rotten mess." She spits out, though to no one in particular.

"I'd love to be the one doing the bashing," Frekki smiles morbidly at Tzipporah.

Vad scans the crowd, but nothing unusual catches his eye.

Two priests carry an idol of Mit-Ratu out of the Old Temple on a litter. This god of justice will watch over the execution and see that the departing soul is conducted to its proper place in the afterlife. As is customary, Edvers will be denied formal communion with his own gods in the moments before his death.

The justiciars position themselves; the one who has taken on the role of executioner lines up his swing. The one in charge of the proceedings gives the signal.

A tough old bastard to the last, it takes three solid blows to behead Edvers Kells. The lead justiciar places his head on a wooden pylon and announces that justice has been delivered. Lord Vaun and his attendants quickly depart. Mit-Ratu is returned to the temple. A few of the spectators come up for a closer look, but most of the crowd starts to hurry back to their homes and jobs. Blood and rainwater mixes and spreads over the square. Two of the justiciars discuss the final settling of their payment with a city official while the third wipes his ritual knife clean.

You are required to let the head and body remain here on display for an hour before you're allowed to take it away for burial.

The executioner clicks his tongue. "Would that I had such steadfast friends to look after me were I in the same predicament." He gives you a rueful half-smile as he wraps up his huge knife. "He was a good egg, this old fellow. Cracked jokes with us even as we were making ready to put him to questions under pain. Never held it personal against us. I liked him."

Carillion dismisses the invisible entity with a stamp of his hammer and leans over toward Tzipporah, whispering to her. " do you suppose a reincarnation may be in order? Would his spirit even be willing to pursue that as an option? It's beyond my ability, but perhaps in Banwod has the knowledge and aptitude? If we removed say, a finger and left right now would we make it there in ten days to bring back our friend?"

"Surely we could find the means to do it"

They're a little late, but eventually the gravediggers you hired show up with a handcart to transport the body and a shroud to cover it with. The plan is to head toward what's left of Edvers' village, about an hour's walk north of the city, and find a discreet place nearby to bury it.

Lightning flashes behind the Old Temple; a few seconds later the sound of thunder rolls in. The storm is getting worse.

If somebody wants to take one of Edvers' fingers, they'll need to make a Sleight of Hand roll.

You are seen, but nobody tries to stop you. "Taking a souvenir?" one of the guards jeers.
The gravediggers' eyes widen, and one of them grimaces fearfully. "Witchcraft," he whispers. The other elbows him and mutters, "Come on, let's get this done quick as we can."

Your little funerary procession takes the street to the north gate out of the city. The four towers of the Palace of the Tetrarchy loom overhead as you pass market stalls closed and tarped because of the weather and cross the bridge over the flooded canal. The gravediggers keep casting queasy glances back at Vad. A few women, certainly unaware of the identity of the body under the shroud, emerge from their dwellings to follow behind you, tearing at their clothes and hair and wailing profusely, hoping to make a few coins as hired mourners.

A horse and a dolphin are carved into the cyclopean posts of the city gate: symbols of Nethuns, the chief deity of Sthombo. The guards at the gate inspect your cart and wave you through.

The arcane dwarf reaches into his belt pouch and pulls out a handful of copper coins and softly tosses them toward the "mourners" with a wave and toothy smile. (Random coins equaling about 1 silver)

"Thank you friends! It's gratifying to see the warmth of human kindness on such an audible display"

When he turns and walks swiftly to catch up with his companions the look of contempt on his face is unmistakable, and he mutters under his beard; "Warmth.... I wish I could show them some warmth. Filthy bottom-crawlers. Maybe some warmth from the pyres of the abyss."


As he passes her to get alongside Leth, Carillion pats Tzipporah on the shoulder and nods up at her as if to say "nice job" regarding her aquisition of the finger.

When he gets close to Leth he whispers; "If we can make it to Banwood in less than ten days, and scrape together enough gold, we can ask our friend himself, if he is willing.

"That is an excellent point, however, there is a time limit involved. And should we prove successful, we'd be far away with him in
Banwood."

"Of course this course of action will be very expensive and there's a good chance it might not work at all. It would certainly require a group effort so if the consensus is that this is not agreeable we can certainly investigate this iron sphere,"

He rubs the back of his head.

"I just believe bringing him back, and in another region some distance away from here is preferable to merely avenging him. Besides, there's a chance he may rencarnate as an elf, dwarf or even something more exotic. He'd have his memories, spirit, be the same person entirely, just possibly be in a different form."

The dwarf holds up his hands and shrugs.

"But it's a long way and a lot of gold for something that might not even work."

Yes, you all met briefly prior to the execution. Some of you may have worked together on making the burial arrangements, etc.

You stop at the burial site you'd decided upon: a large willow tree within sight of the village, but not so close as to have any likelihood of getting torn up if search efforts were renewed. The gravediggers get to work with their picks and shovels, digging a resting place for Edvers in the wet earth.

Some of the smaller structures survived the search of the village, but the larger ones, including Edvers' house and the longhall he built with his nephews, have been completely dismantled. Mounds of dark brown earth stand where searchers dug crisscrossing trenches. Edvers had named the village Greenbower, and while it seems likely that in time people will inhabit this patch of land again, the name will likely not survive. The Kells family, and the others who lived here, have completely abandoned the place.

Players who wish to look around may make an Investigation, Nature, or Perception check.

Players who wish to contemplate the mystery of the Iron Sphere and Edvers' involvement in its disappearance may make an Arcana, History, or Insight check.

Players who wish to help inter the body may make a Religion check.

Edvers was not an especially religious man, but Felor does recall him making a particularly heartfelt, teary, drunken prayer to Semla one night when Zora was sick with a fever she was not expected to survive. He remembers an invocation to Semla he'd heard before (or a pretty good paraphrase of it, anyway), and recites it over the grave after offering his own prayer to Fjorgyn.

+10 XP to Felor

Tzipporah turns some facts over in her head. If it was really true that the Iron Sphere originally fell from the sky, that alone could explain why it was worth stealing. Celestial iron was known to hold enchantments better than mined ore (something about its natural attunement to the Astral Plane -- you'd seen a diagram explaining it, once), and was said by some wizards even to amplify them. To the right people, the Iron Sphere would certainly be a valuable acquisition, but you can't imagine Edvers stealing the thing for financial gain. He'd often said he had all the riches he ever needed, usually indicating his family or this village when he did so, but he had material wealth too. It wouldn't surprise you if the searchers had turned up a coffer or two of gold in the walls and soil of Greenbower.

+10 XP to Tzipporah

Carillion will move from party member to party member, putting an arm around them, or patting them on the back, but he's actually scanning the crowd of onlookers and gawkers for suspicious behavior, strange expressions or mysterious conversations going on amongst them.

This would have had to have taken place back in town immediately following the execution, as there's nobody but you six and the two gravediggers here outside the village. In any case, you don't see anything. You can make another skill check of your choice at the current location.

Pacing through the remains of Edvers' house, Vad notices something odd. Carved into one heavy wooden beam is a small symbol that resembles a crown with six points. He runs his finger over the symbol. The edges are still a little rough; somebody carved this recently.

Leth, meanwhile, scans the surrounding area. The rain has eased up a bit, but the wind is strong here. That's why it's easy, at first, to dismiss it as leaves moving in the breeze when he sees motion behind a thicket of blackberry bushes on the opposite end of the village. But something about it feels off to him, and his gaze lingers there.

+10 XP to Vad
+10 XP to Leth

Satisfied that his investigation revealed that indeed, only the gravediggers and his associates are around, Tintinnabulum thinks back on any similar artifacts to the iron sphere amongst his own culture, or possibly something Fell might have mentioned while discussing metalworking.

"He seemed interested in my bells, and even a little surprised that I made them myself. As if a dwarf can't forge a simple bell soon after he's weaned. Of course he could have been feigning interest to be polite I suppose."

edit: I sure hope I roll something other than a 1 at some point here, lol.

It's fine we're just getting these 1s out the way now so the combat is all 20s...

Nothing comes to mind for Carillion or Felor.

I'd like to give Leth a chance to weigh in on what he noticed in the blackberry bushes before proceeding. None of the rest of you saw or heard anything.

As soon as the words are out of Leth's mouth, the blackberry bushes shake and you all hear three sharp tearing sounds in rapid succession. Felor feels wind and spray as something whizzes past his face at a frightening speed.

nevermind, beaten to the punch by the DM!

One gravedigger makes a "Hurk!" sound and tumbles backwards, arms windmilling, as a crossbow bolt lands in his ribcage. A second bolt slams into the willow tree, narrowly missing the other gravedigger.

With his alertness raised, Leth was ready to dodge, but picks the wrong direction and rolls right into the path of the third bolt, taking it in the upper arm.

That's 6 damage to Leth. One gravedigger is dead, the other screams and starts running back in the direction of the city.

Tzipporah sees, well concealed in the thicket, two men in black oilskin coats. There must be a third in there somewhere.

Roll for initiative. It will take two combat rounds to close the distance between the grave site and the blackberry bushes, but you have the option of returning missile fire or taking cover behind the willow.

To make things easier, we're going to do group initiative -- your rolls will be averaged, and if it's higher than the enemy group you'll win initiative. That way players can take combat actions in any order instead of holding things up waiting for specific players to act.

Carillion hefts his bell hammer and prepares to fight!

The party wins initiative. You can all take an action, except for Felor who already went. Remember it'll take 2 rounds to move within melee range.

As she traces strange and otherworldly symbols with her hands Tzipporah whispers a word long forgot word. With a sickly tearing sound a green blast burst forth from her fingers at one of the attackers in the bush.
"Take one of them alive!"

The grave/tree is behind you, then ahead is the ruined village, then the bushes.

OOC: Can Vad see either of the men from his current position?

You can see two of them, the third is still concealed.

sorry i isn't post yesterday guys,

Carillion will run toward the blackberry bushes, hefting his bellhammer above his head. (25 feet)

When he gets as close as he is able be will slam the hammer's pommel onto the ground, and a deafening clang blasts toward the bushes

(Thunderwave, 15 foot cone, directed on the bushes. Target(s) must make a con saving throw, DC 12 or take 2d8 Thunder damage and be pushed 10 feet. Successful save they take half damage and are not pushed.)

(Additionally, any unsecured items in th zone are also pushed, possibly removing the leaves from the bushes removing the enemy's cover?)

Carillion will need another round to get in range to Thunderwave the bushes.

The flare of Tzipporah's Eldritch Blast burning one ambusher's coat gives Leth an obvious target. He puts an arrow in the wounded man's belly; this one will fight no more.

The two unhurt assailants return fire.

Tzipporah cries out when the arrow finds its mark on her. Scowling in hatred at her foe, she dips her fingers into her component pouch. Tzipporah retrieves two small tarts and a feather. Crumbling the tarts as she waves the feather in front of her; she whispers a strange and blasphemous word.
Tzipporah casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the unengaged foe.

Seeing his first try at attacking had little chance of succeeding, Carillion sprints forward and slams his hammer on the ground again, trying to blast the leaves off the bushes, and the consciousness from the attackers.


thunderwave again, DC 12 con saving throw. Half damage on a save.

Frekki runs to the bushes, swinging her greatsword over her head and bringing it down on one of the attackers' bodies.

Geez, 1's for days!

I'm on the verge of filing a bug report about the RNG ;)

At Tzipporah's dark utterance, the other visible ambusher starts to gibber and cackle in a loud, unsettling way, but only for a moment: the deranged laughter goes abruptly silent when Leth's arrow pierces his throat.

As Carillion unleashes his Thunderwave the bushes shudder violently, berries burst and leaves and branches go flying. You hear a sound of impact and a grunt of pain from behind the thicket.

Carillion stands fast and braces himself. His hand slips into his robe to touch the book he keeps close to his person, just to reassure himself it's still there.

"That's the spirit! Go get them! I hit one of them!"

You get no reply from either the two assailants bleeding in the bushes or the one who was blasted out behind it.

Are all three ambushers visible now? What state do they appear to be in - dead, injured?

Carillion stands safely away from the bushes warily, holding his hammer in a menacing pose.

"One of you ought to check on the one in the bushes! I'll cover you!"

The two ambushers still in the bushes are dead: one from an Eldritch Blast and crossbow bolt to the gut, the other from an arrow through the neck. The third got thrown out behind the thicket by Carillion's Thunderwave. Through the branches, Tzipporah can see him lying prone a few yards back. You'll have to go through or around the thicket to reach him.

He's breathing shallowly and his eyes have rolled back into his head. Your inclination is to use Spare the Dying. You may tie him up at your leisure; it will take him a few minutes to regain consciousness.

Carillion does a sort of strut toward the fallen enemies and grins with large white chompers. He appears very pleased with himself, forgetting for a moment the sad events of the day.

He will inspect one of the dead to see if they have anything on them he can use. Like a short sword perhaps or a crossbow. Maybe a scroll or two if he's lucky.

They each carry a crossbow, about a dozen bolts, and a long dagger. There's a sack of hard biscuits and a large canteen of water in the bushes as well.

He shudders and blinks, stares wide-eyed at you for a moment, then his eyes dull as he seems to fully gather exactly what situation he's now in. He glances around to see who else is there, taking in the size of your group and his own aloneness. He lets out a weary sigh.

Carillion will take a crossbow and set of bolts, then walk over to the survivor, ringing the bell on his hammer menacingly.

He will begin singing an old dwarven nursery rhyme, but in Infernal, making it sound like a horrifying demonic incantation


"একবার এতক্ষণ তিনি এটা স্তন্যপান পারে একটি শিশ্ন সঙ্গে থেকে এ..."

"Now tell us what you have planned unless you want to see what a hungry and leach ovoids chained horror from the seventh level of abyss looks like firsthand"

You can recover all missiles except when otherwise noted.

Your prisoner takes a moment to consider his words, then says: "We're hired men. We dealt with an intermediary. He told us to wait here to see if anyone came to bury the body or look around the village. Our orders were to kill as many as necessary until there were few enough left that we could take you captive. They insisted on at least two left alive. I don't know who we're working for. I don't know anything else. Our camp is half a mile from here. I can take you there but you'll find nothing of interest."

So did my perception/investigation check accomplish anything?

Carillon will continue chanting nursery rymes in infernal and drawing abyssal words on the ground around the prisoner in an attempt to frighten him. He's still upset about his friends execution and wants to take it out on someone.

You're not seeing anything to contradict what the prisoner himself has told you. They're wearing practical clothes for an ambush in rainy weather, they don't appear to be foreigners or bear any distinctive marks, they have no unusual personal effects.

The prisoner eyes the twirling dagger. "What symbols?"

The prisoner looks up at Leth. "If I sell out all my contacts I'm just buying a temporary respite from death. They'll kill me as sure as you will and they'll probably see that it hurts more. You want the names of those two over there? Fine. That one shot through the neck? Ebner Croll. New to this line of work. I guess it didn't suit him. The one with the bolt in his belly is Nack Hethercorn. I didn't know him well either, but he had a reputation as a trustworthy sort, the kind who'd watch your back and leave your purse alone.

"Men who do the sort of work we do don't sign contracts. The word of our middleman is all the surety we need. I won't give you his name. Once we had you captured we were to take you to an abandoned building near here. You can probably guess the one if you know the area. Now kill me if you will; my soul already dwells in Nethuns' deep and I fear not death."

His voice wavers a little at the end, but he seems to be trying to put some real conviction in it.

The prisoner remains stone-faced while his eyes flick to each of you in turn. He seems to be holding his tongue while he waits to see if this is a serious suggestion, and if it's going to gain any traction with the rest of his captors.

All players gain 10 XP each for the fight with the ambushers.

You can make History or Insight skill checks to try and figure out what building the prisoner was talking about.

You should track your own XP.

You know that about a mile and a half northeast of here, the walls of an ancient stone longhouse built by peoples lost to time still stand. Largely grown over and not visible from any well-used paths, it's the first place that comes to mind.

Just a reminder, Edvers' grave is only about half filled-in, and the bodies of the three ambushers are out in the open.

Carillion grabs a shovel and begins furiously digging like, well, a dwarf.

"I'm more of an academic, but my mother would sooner be dead than craft a dwarfling in her womb that can't handle a spade and pickaxe. Mining is in our blood!"

He starts on finishing the grave of their friend, then quickly scrapes out more shallow holes for the ambushers in some sod behind the bushes.

When their buried he casts mending on the turf in an effort to keep the bodies out of sight

Working as quickly as possible, Edvers' grave is filled in and shallow pits are dug for the ambushers. It's mid-afternoon. The rain has eased up but still falls. Leth knows the way to the old longhouse.

You can proceed to the abandoned longhouse if you're ready. It might also be possible to try and figure out where Zora is hiding out.

I'm happy to press on to the longhouse unless anyone else wants to do more investigating?

I think my dice are broken.
If Leth has decent Stealth skill maybe he can tell us the route to the longhouse then separate off and sneakily approach from another direction to ambush any ambushers? I'm probably going to fail any stealth check, clanking around in my armour.

You can approach the longhouse as stealthily or strategically as you want, it makes little difference: there's nobody there.

Shrouded in vines and moss and veiled by tall drooping ferns, one could easily walk within yards of this old ruin and never see it. Leth takes a cautious look inside. The roof has long since rotted away, but the branches of nearby trees, draped thick with ivy, provide a natural cover.

It appears to be empty, but it clearly has not been forgotten. The earthen floor between the stone walls is pitted and scarred with trenches, all recently dug. Somebody has been here looking for something.

Somebody give me a Nature skill check.

Given the state of the overturned dirt and the way it's been raining this week, you'd guess these excavations were made about two or three days ago.

Carillion will move impatiently from one foot to another, appearing very uncomfortable. Every once in awhile he will look at Tzipporah as if he expects something.

Those are not fruit-bearing Perception rolls. How long will the party wait to see if anyone shows up?

What time of day is it?

It's late afternoon. Sunset will come in an hour or so, not that you can see it through the heavy rainclouds.

I say we wait to see if anyone turns up before nightfall, and if not camp here for the night

We are the worst detectives.

I need another Nature skill check!

Can I give another one or do you need someone else?

Yes, this is a new check, you can roll again.

While conducting his examinations of the moss and grubs, Felor hears the cry of a bird some short distance to the west. A moment later, he pauses. That was a shorebird's cry, not one likely to be heard in a wooded inland area like this.

+10 XP to Felor for solid ornithological acumen

"I can be quite adapt at mimicking sounds, if you would like me to call back." Tzipporah posed to the others

Cupping her hands around her mouth Tzipporah leans her head back to the sky and attempts to mimic the call.

I used performance for this but if I can use deception add +2 to the roll.

Tzipporah makes a pretty convincing answering call. There's a long pause, and then the call from the west repeats. It almost seems...hesitant this time.

(Why do you get Performance advantage? Not doubting it, just wondering)

I actually asked the same thing in the other thread

[Actor Feat says You gain advantage on deception and performance checks to impersonate someone else, you can imitate the sounds or speech of another creature, and you gain +1 Cha. It could be interrupted two different ways I suppose. If you say no advantage then disregard the second die result. I good with it either way.]

No it's good. I was guessing it was a background thing.

[I probably should stated it when I made the roll. Just to avoid confusion. Will do in the future]

Who wants to make a Perception check?

The call repeats again, and to Felor's ear it sounds a little closer this time.

Where is everybody positioned? Is anyone looking outside?

Stepping as far away from the main entrance to building Tzipporah attempts to hide in the shadows of the ruined structure.

You can hear leaves rustling and branches snapping outside. Something is coming closer.

The longhouse is about 20' x 60' oriented east-west and at this point in time consists only of the thick stone walls and the canopy of vegetation providing a roof of sorts. There are open doorways at either end and a semi-collapsed opening in the middle of the south wall. No windows.

Can I check to see which entrance it sounds like the intruder is closest to? To try and guess which opening they'll come in?

They seem likeliest to come to the west entrance first.

The movement and bird calls have stopped. You can hear low voices now, but you can't really tell how many or what they're saying over the sound of the rain.

Abruptly, one of them calls out: "Nack?"

Tzipporah cocks her head at the name, and attempts to impersonate the voice of the man that they had held captive.
"Inside."

[Will roll performance again but if I can use decpetion add +2 to the results]

More rustling, more furtive whispering. "Brand? What's going on? Where's Nack?"

There's a long, silent pause. Then a different voice says: "Come outside. Slowly. Let us see you."

Carillion grimly wipes his nose and readies his new crossbow. His fingertips spark with ambient electricity.

I have Felor and Vad positioned at the west wall entrance, Leth in the northeast corner. I am going to assume Tzipporah, Carillion, and Frekki are generally near the west wall unless I hear otherwise...

[Sorry guys got super busy yesterday. BullOctorok, can I ask for a ruling on something? I can speak telepathically to people. Can I imitate other people's voices while speaking telepathicly? I know that sounds weird but my hope is to speak to the questioner in his own voice in his head.]
Tzipporah glanced at her companions, looking for ideas. "These guys are insistent," she whispered more to herself then anyone else. Maybe if she took a more aggressive turn.

I think voice mimicry in telepathic communication will be a really hard sell, but you can try it. I'll need Performance and Deception skill checks.

"Let him bleed," the second voice says. "Step out where I can see you. Now."

Those of you gathered by the western entrance hear the crunch of boots on wet underbrush. A word is spoken. For a fleeting instant there is a hissing, crackling sound that builds to a low rumble, followed by a thunderous CRACK...

I need Constitution saving throws from everybody but Leth.

(Still waiting on Carillion's saving throw)

Leth, making his way around the side of the longhouse, hears a sudden crack of thunder ahead. His heart sinks.

Inside, a blast of force tears through the doorway and the very walls. Vad, Frekki, and Tzipporah, having braced themselves, remain upright even as the numbing force of the shock numbs them and blacks out their vision momentarily, but Felor is thrown back ten feet, tumbling into a pile of stones and nettles. Carillion, meanwhile...

[Keep waiting on Carillion or roll initiative?]

Anyone who wants to rush out of the longhouse and meet the enemy should roll initiative. Leth and anyone who wants to hunker down inside the longhouse would not be considered to be engaged in combat yet.

Standing up costs half my movement, does the remaining half get me outside or just back to the end of the longhouse where I started?

You could get just out from the collapsed part of the south wall.

Leth, after hearing the crack of thunder, will try to sneak around the building and get in a look at whoever is outside the building, without being seen.

edit: ....*sigh*
...don't suppose I could get an extra advantage roll from my favored terrain? ;)

Carillion, too, is thrown back by the blast.

A wet branch crunches loudly as Leth stumbles on it. "More of them! Outside!" the first voice exclaims.

"Let's go. Hurry," the second voice snarls.

No initiative necessary yet. Each player may declare their next action.

Not from where he is inside the longhouse right now.

Leth winces and tenses up the second he steps on the branch. He had just given himself away, and he knew it.
Crap. Crap crap crap. Leth thought, and all pretense of stealth left. He immediately began running towards the sound of the voices, bow and arrow ready in his hands.

"Guys, they're gonna run for it! Don't let them get away!" He yells at the longhouse as he hightails it towards the two voices.

Leth is definitely going for combat here. Also, unless I specify otherwise, he'll always try to deal non-lethal damage to other people.

Leth is the first to catch sight of the men: a stocky fellow clad in the same sort of black oilskins as the ambushers, and behind him a taller man in a long gray cloak with a pointed hood. The shorter one throws a quick glance behind him as Vad and Felor round the corner of the longhouse.

Everybody who hasn't already, roll initiative. The men are still running away at this point, through heavy, wet vegetation. They have about a seventy foot lead on Leth; with Vad and Felor a little ways behind.

The men start to gain ground as they reach clearer footing, but Leth looses an arrow that flies long and true, sinking deep into the tall man's thigh and pinning his cloak to his leg. He lets out a sudden shart grunt of pain and stumbles, falling to his hands and knees. His companion stops, looks at him, looks at his pursuers, then makes the decision to keep running. The wounded man hisses something unintelligible at him and tries to get up, but immediately falls back down to his knees. He turns to face the oncoming party and draws a long straight knife from his belt.

How far away is the fleeing man? Can Felor reach the injured man in this round?

The fleeing man is about 80' ahead of you. You can reach the injured one this round.

Vad's bolt whizzes past the fleeing man's head as he bounds over a fallen branch.

OoC: Little bit of confusion here for me; the play-by-post system I've used before didn't really use an initiative system, but rather had everyone post what their character was doing whenever they got the chance, and when the DM replied, he/she would take the first three character actions, then an enemy action, then the next three character actions, and so on and so forth until all the character actions had been addressed in the DM's post. Obviously, we're not doing it that way here since we're using initiative, but how exactly does that work in the play-by-post structure? I know Leth just attacked, but then the enemy took a turn, so can I attack again now or do I need to wait for everyone else to take an action?

Typically, we're gonna do group initiative: one roll for the enemies vs average of players' rolls. In this case, all the enemy wants to do is flee, so when Vad rolled a hit I called it on the spot. You can take an action.

Leth's second arrow thunks into one of the trees the running man is now weaving through. Barring a dedicated pursuit, he seems to have successfully made his escape.

The wounded man does not drop his knife at Felor's command, but raises his other hand slightly. Thin, brightly-colored tendrils of purple mist coil up from his fingers. "Step back," he hisses. "All of you. Stand clear of me. Or the next breath you draw will be your last."

The wounded man flexes his fingers, sending out swirling puffs of purple mist. "Further back! And lower your bows. Do as I say."

Tzipporah steps from the ruins and takes in how things have unfolded. Seeing the other man disappearing into the forest she burst into a run hoping to get close enough to unleash a blast of Eldritch energy.
[Sorry guys been sick and bogged down with work]

The man closes his fist; the cloud of mist contracts into a thick, dark sphere around his hand. "Cease your spellcasting! If I release this gas your friend here will be first to die," he says, nodding at Felor. "Throw your weapons on the ground and place your hands behind your head. I will be the one to ask the questions."

The wounded man holds very still for a long moment, breathing slowly. Abruptly, the mist around his hand vanishes all at once. His eyes flick to each of you in turn. "So be it," he says. "I choose death."

The man raises an eyebrow. "Lead?"

"The running coward has no answers for you," the man says. "And I? I have only questions as well." He looks you all over, his gaze seeming to linger on Carillion and Felor.