"Big tentacle animal come from sea. Eat small animal. Run and hide. Be safe."

The small white-crowned sparrow flits off in a frenetic, darting flight that is soon lost among the branches of nearby trees.

Tempe looks a little worried "Seems something large with tentacles from the sea, hunts here. Thats what the bird said."

Randall:

”Then we should definitely mark it on the map and take the longer route to avoid it for now.  Good work, Tempe,” responds Brother Randall, thankful for the wisdom and capabilities of his new companions.

"That doesn;t sound great indeed, I guess the long way around is the best way. Should we wait till Irrazan is back?"

Irraxan can see that there is nothing of any particular interest on top of the hill, no natives or large animals, maybe the odd bird flitting from tree to tree.

I guess no news from the hill is good news. Zenodor recalls Irraxan by the usual trick (dismiss without range limit into pocket dimension, re-appear within 30ft as action). 

(I love that instant return after recon trick.)

The wind has picked up a little, not quite a gusty or blustery day, but not a mild one. Your cloaks and outer clothes ruffle slightly in the wind until you reach the tree line. The wind ceases to be a problem as you reenter the woods and begin circling around the hill. it is also considered dim light under the canopy of the trees.

About halfway around, almost exactly opposite the shore is a man-made cave entrance. It has smooth, straight sides seven feet tall that end is a perfectly rounded arch. Nature could never reproduce such an easily recognizable entrance of worked stone. The entrance is dark suggesting there is no one inside, or at the very least no light sources.

Zenodor, having read enough stories of heroes in his youth, recognises an ominous cave when he sees one. He suggests we tool up (prep, reload, cast any advance spells), and then explore the cave/building. Zenodor will cast Armor of Agathys near the entrance before the exploration starts, in anticipation of danger. He will also cast "Detect Magic" every 10 mins [at will, thus making it pretty much permanent until he does somethig else] while while exploring  - just in case there are some magic surprises/creatures/objects.

Zenodor will ask Irraxan to stay reasonably, close but ahead of the group - in the hope that he might provide advance warning of any creatures or ambushes. Irraxan, being an Imp, can of course see in darkness - even if there was magical darkness. [OOC: Familiars are crazy useful and very often underestimated]

OOC: Does everyone have Darkvision or equivalent? Then we wouldn't need to use torches which may give away our position and alert whatever is inside.

Also, I can't recall who, but isn't someone in the group permanently lit up? Which could be a problem if we're trying to be stealthy.

Randall:

Pulling out his glowing mace Lightbringer, Randall says, “I am not one for much stealth, and I require light to see my way.  Perhaps I can stay towards the back and let stealthier ones scout ahead”.

"I can be stealthy, but can't see in the dark so that will be a problem. Also, I'd like to imbue my weapon, but than it will shed bright light for 20ft. However, if someone has a way to give me darkvision I'll choose another imbue method."

Bow says; 

One thing you can all guess about the nature of the cave before entering is that it was either built by the natives or by other visitors to the island.

Tempe uses his first wild shape to summon his wildfire spirit in the shape of a fairy dragon. High and far enough away to cause no harm to his companions then it hovers close to him "Someone mention the need for light?"

Bow imbues his weapon with rite of dawn taking 5 and ensures all his clips are full.

"Zenodor it seems your imp is the only actual stealthy of us, including being able to see in the dark?"

Petcan nods. “I can either light your path a ways further,” conjuring dancing lights and sending them out ahead in a spread pattern. “Or I can scout ahead. I can see quite well in the dark. I’m not a professional talent like some, but I can manage.” 

Ok, given that Irraxan is the only stealthy member of the party, let's send the Imp ahead of the main party. Far enough that he could alert us to something he may spot before it/they/whatever spots our lights/flames/torches. Hopefully this way we can at least avoid any ambushes, and perhaps if we're lucky even get the drop on whatever is inside. Irraxan will of course turn himself invisible as usual to help with this.

Following the stealthy imp, will be a presumably well lit-up party unless someone has a clever idea? Z can see in the darkness (even magical), so he is happy to stay a few steps behind the main lit-up party to try and not get hit by the inevitable ambush / hail-of-arrows / whatever.

Randall:

Smiling, Randall pulls out Lightbringer and wills its striking head into a soft yellow light.  He offers to add light to someone else’s item if they are interested, then prepares to explore the cave.

"The dancing lights sound like a nice touch for a further vision."

((Do they use up concentration?))

Quote from Secretfool >>

"The dancing lights sound like a nice touch for a further vision."

((Do they use up concentration?))

 They do. So they could drop. Bring your own light in case, they just help to see a bit farther. 

Petcan will lead this party into the dark with the imp far out in front and Randal close behind

You begin winding your way into the cave. It is indeed worked stone with smooth walls 5 feet apart and an arched ceiling about 8 feet high. It curves at times right and then back left. An odd design for a man-made cave. There is a level of craftsmanship and the overall design was not rushed. Still it is simple enough that you can't place the origin of the architecture. Some moisture is evident here and there on the walls, probably due to it's closeness to the open sea.

The cave does descend slightly as it's path zigs and zags but not too steeply. You estimate over the first 10 minutes of exploration you must of descended a total of 20 feet. And by trying to mental map it you guess it is following the general direction you were traveling along the beach.

1. Continuing to explore forward?
2. Stopping for a rest or any other reason?
3. Turning around or backtracking?

Tempe quietly breaks the silence from the shadows behind the group as Cisco flies a little ahead of the group so the non Dark visioned  people can see further,  Asking the question, that seems most logical to him. "Do you think, this may be the tentacle creatures lair?"