Rohuzar:

Leelan seems to be in thought for a moment. Hiding behind the bushes as his companions are approaching the tree, he has an epiphany.

"Hold on. This sounds like something Gord told us about. 'The first of her rules; the rule of three.  Knock three times on the dead man's tree'. Could this be the aforementioned dead man’s tree?"

Does the metal match the metal of the puzzle cube? Arcana: 18

Grugga nods to Leelan, "I'd bet my best pair of shoes that this is the Dead Man's Tree..." he looks over the charred corpse. "I have a bad feeling about this. I really don't want to hear this guy start talking." He makes a rural Pentwater sign to ward off evil.

Grugga has to approach along with Rohuzar and Guilim to get a clear look at the chains:

 * So no, it is not the same metal as the puzzle cube.

Rohuzar looks to the others. “I am… I vill take the risk and knock. Take care with your speaking. Cold iron like this, it leads me to vorry about faeries.” 

Unless anyone has any objections, Rohuzar will knock three times on the tree, giving a nod to Leelan for his excellent memory

Aubrey gives a thumbs up from the treeline, ready as Rohuzar knocks on the tree.

The clearing remains calm as Rohuzar approaches the tree, Guilim and Grugga waiting nearby, and Aubrey and Leelan waiting 30 feet away behind some trees.

Rohuzar raises his knuckles and raps them hard upon the tree.  It doesn't give a satisfying knock, the bark having some give to it.  He can barely hear it over the roar of the storm above and around him.  He strikes again... and then a third time.

A moment goes by... and then another... it seems like there has been no effect.  And then the storm quiets.  The sky is still dark all around, but above the clearing the sky begins to brighten and the clouds part.  The small amount of rain that had hade been reaching you dissipates.  Soon you find yourselves standing in a small patch of sunshine amidst a thunderstorm.

Just then, a rattling sound emerges from the bound corpse on the tree... a rush of air escapes its gaping, dead mouth.  Then it is air no longer, but smoke.  Thick clouds of smoke billow out and spread through the clearing, surrounding Rohuzar, then Guilim and then Grugga.  Objects within the smoke are heavily obscured.  The cloud reaches a radius of 25ft around the tree before it stops growing.  Aubrey and Leelan can barely make out their allies in the heavy smoke... but they also see something else... shapes; wings; claws; almost ethereal forms....

Three (3) Smoke Mephits have emerged!

INITIATIVE

• Smoke Mephits  19
• Rohuzar  9
• Aubrey 20
• Guilim  16
• Leelan  22
• Grugga  11

Map to follow ASAP...

Grugga covers his mouth with his tabard, not wanting to breathe in the magical smoke, and retreats out of it, flailing his axe in front of him as he backpedals to the edge of the smoke to ward off the little monsters. (Disengage and move 30 feet).

With the smoke covering the area where is allies are standing, Leelan begins calling out to them. If they can’t see him, hopefully they could hear him.

"Everyone. You need to get out of the smoke. Follow the sound of my voice."

He will then have an arrow ready. Should one of the mephits perform a hostile action towards Grugga, Rohuzar or Guilim, he will fire.

(Hold action: Attack)

Aubrey gives Leelan a quick thumbs up and readies himself to blast any mephit that attacks.

The three Mephits drift through the smoke this round, laughing and calling out in a hissing, gasping language.

Smoke Mephit:  2

Smoke Mephit:  1

Smoke Mephit:  2

 They take no other apparent action.

Guilim will move to get out of the smoke if possible, stopping to take the Dodge action after going back his full movement.

Rohuzar is going to disengage and move back 10 feet, waiting to see what the mephits are doing

MAPS!

Prior to Round 1....

After Round 1 (except for Rohuzar...)...

Does Grugga have any idea what these might be? Arcana or History 17

Grugga:

 While Leelan and Aubrey stand ready with ranged fire, Guilim and Grugga emerge from the thick smoke and join them at the edge of the clearing.  Rohuzar moves two hexes SE but lingers in the haze, staying between his allies and the mysterious creatures. 

They continue to laugh and cough in a strange language.

Leelan and Aubrey are back up.  Still holding ready or taking some other action?

Aubrey still at the ready but also blasting away at closest mephit at Rohuzar's command.

"Are you friend or foe?" Grugga calls out into the mist, while remaining at the ready. Grugga uses the dodge action.

(Will assume for the moment that, since no creatures are currently out in the open, Leelan will maintain his ready action like Aubrey)

From out of the smoke, you hear a pair of gravelly voices....

Hey Marty?

Yeah, Frank (cough)?

(cough, cough) Do you know what's the same about kittens and cigars?

No, Frank. What's the same about kittens and cigars?

Well, (cough) when you stick them in your mouth, they both taste better if you light them on fire first!

(Assorted laughs and coughs)

While you consider the odd humor displayed by these creatures, a third emerges from the smoke near Leelan.  Its form is a blend of solid body and wisping smoke, with features like a imp and a pair of batlike wings beating furiously to keep it aloft.  It opens its mouth and exhales a blast of smoke and cinders in a 15 foot cone.  Leelan, Guilim, Aubrey and Grugga are all caught in the blast zone.  Each must make a DEX save DC 10 or be blinded until the end of the Smoke Mephit's next turn.

(Guilim, since you are still taking the dodge action from your last turn, you can make the save with advantage.  Grugga, you took the disengage action on your last turn, and though you intended to take the dodge action this turn, you come after the Smoke Mephit in the initiative order so your dodge hasn't happened yet.  You can take a different action if you like now that circumstances have changed.)

(Also, both Leelan and Aubrey's held attacks are triggered on the Smoke Mephit.  These go off simultaneously with the attack so even if you fail the save and are blinded, you get the shot off before that happens.  However, Leelan the Smoke Mephit emerged within 5ft of you, so your ranged attack is at disadvantage.)

(Leelan and Aubrey can take their readied attacks.  Then Rohuzar, Guilim and Grugga (if he wants to change his action) are up to finish round two, and then it is Leelan and Aubrey again to start round 3 before the Mephits are back up.)

Seeing the small flying creature emerge from the smoke Aubrey uses the powers of his talisman to blast it with a beam of golden crackling force.
Eldritch blast: 25 Force: 10

He then tries to dodge the incoming blast of smoke and cinders.
Dex save: 13