Aralin, stands back, waiting for direction from Seraphine who is our leader .... and says; "Lets not rush into anything my opinion for whats worth" , he continues "lets not get carried away and rush in, or loose concentration or what ever, let's work together or we may find ourselves all suffering as a result" and then Aralin finishes saying rather firmly: "This place seems more dangerous then was told to us, something is clearly not right..."

Aralin awaits an answer and direction from Seraphine.

Valerian, you’ll have to get closer and risk the ants’ attention to see more. There are only a few, maybe 4-6. Yes, the body is your size.

Something about the sight of the body, here where he hadn't thought he'd see any death, has shaken Valerian far more than he'd like to admit. But it has also instilled a drive in him that he hadn't felt the moment before. Turning back to the group, he says carefully, "The ants aren't too much a danger at our size and their number, I feel like this is a risk worth taking." Glancing at each of them particularly, he nods, "I will be as careful and quiet as possible, if something goes awry I trust that we can handle it." 

Making sure the others do not have objections to the action, Valerian tries to get closer to the body without alerting the ants.

Please check a stealth, if you roll well you may learn more about the body without alerting the ants, otherwise they might notice you

Finn is excited that the group might have a lead on this wild goose (mouse?) chase. "Who's to say the ants will be hostile? We may just scare them away, and if they're not friendly I have a good feeling this group can take them."

He nods to Valerian who is being very brave, a trait Finn respects. "If you can get closer stealthily, good on you. If they turn hostile, we got your back," he'll say gesturing to the group.

Seraphine extends the same Guidance to Val as she did to Finn before, "Approach carefully, and at the slightest hint of aggression, let us know and we move in, too."

Glad to have the support of his companions, Valerian nods back to them and steps forward quietly, careful about the sound he makes with each step.

(Stealth and Guidance: 19 + 3 = 22)

[Aralin: Stealth check with disadvantage = 15]

Valerian can sneak closer undetected.

The slumped figure is a dwarven lady. She is unmoving and appears to be dead. Her skin is frightfully pale. Her thick red hair cascades down her shoulders and onto her metal armor, well-crafted dwarven make. A large spike is imbedded in her abdomen, apparently the mechanism of death. Her helmet lays discarded near one arm, and on the other side her axe lays flat on the ground, a large double-bladed thing. In the other arm she is clutching close to herself a book. 

There are 5 ants are skittering around the area rapidly, touching the dwarf and everything around her with their long antennae. They are black-bodied, 3-segmented creatures with sharp-looking mandibles, bulbous black eyes, and 6 spindly ever-moving legs that look surprisingly hairy. Each is the size of a large dog.

(OOC: just to be clear, if Valerian tries to grab anything off of the body, it would alert all the ants of his presence at this point?)

Oh definitely, in my mind you’ve simply crept closer to get a better view but you’re still a good 50 feet away

Valerian stands there in the stillness of the moment, watching the ants scuttle around the body of the impaled knight and considers the risk of moving right up to body. It feels unusual to him to be left in charge of making the risky decision but he thinks back to what the others had said regarding this approach. If stepping forward would catch the ant's attention then they would handle it together.

He continues forward with this careful pace with two objectives now in mind. Firstly, it seemed obvious from where he had been standing that the impalement had done her in but at their deceased sizes, he wonders if he can identify what it is. Secondly, if Seraphine was indeed right about this knight also being hired the same as they were then perhaps her book might be of some assistance to them. So Valerian, once close enough, will try to get the book. The others seemed to have weapons and abilities to protect themselves so he doesn't feel the need to take anything else. 

(How far is Val from us when he is about 50 feet from the body? I’m trying to gauge how many turns we need to come to his rescue if the plan goes pear-shaped.). 

Another 50 feet

(What do I need to roll in order to make an attempt to get closer and get the book?)

Once Valerian is several feet away, Finn hands his length of the rope back to Seraphine, "I want to keep my hands free in case we have to rush in." Then he'll watch with baited breath.

Quote from detectivelora >>

(What do I need to roll in order to make an attempt to get closer and get the book?)

 I don’t think there’s any roll you could make to avoid detection if you got closer, not without some shenanigans

(understood XD)

As quickly as he can, Valerian moves towards the fallen body and tries to pry the book out of grasp. He tried to figure out a way to get it without alerting the ants but to no awail so he is aiming to just get it and move back as quickly. 

As soon as he gets the book, he will shout to the others, "My friends, BE READY!"

Haha nice!

I’ll give you credit on your good stealth roll before. You can have a surprise round which gets you to the book and grab it before the ants can react.

This close you also get a good look at the spike sticking out of the dead dwarf’s stomach. You’re still not really sure what it is. It seems there is some dried organic material trailing off the end of the spike.

The ants turn their alien gaze on you and silently wave their antennae and flex their mandibles. The lack of sound is frankly unnerving.

Now you need to roll for initiative!

Finn's initiative: 11