Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: Lost Mines of Phandelver

Rabbit heads out of the room and starts to make her way towards the cellar entrance. (I presume this is outside on the north side of the building? There seems another stair going up inside the house?) 

Margret nonchalantly wipes her face with her tunic and follows.

Outside on the north side of the building, you find a pair of wooden doors, set against the north side of the farmhouse. The doors are unlocked, opening it you find that it covers stone stairs leading down to the cellar.

Descending down the stairs, you find the cellar has a dirt floor, walls of mortared stone, and an eight-foot-high plank ceiling braced by wooden pillars. Tied to an overturned chair, amongst a few smashed pots, is a large figure with a burlap sack pulled over his head. Shelves along the walls are lined with skulls made of butter and protected by a thin coating of wax.

Seeing the tied-up figure, Rabbit descends the stairs. However, she is distracted by the skulls made out of butter.  Pointing at them, she says to the others, "What do you suppose those are for?"  After the slight side-track, she continues. Moving behind the large figure, she pulls off the burlap sack, leaving him tied. 

Krull lifting his shoulders says "trophies?" Looking at the man " That must be our guy"

Realising that he will cause more fear than trust especially with his bloodied look right now will speak only when he has to..

Margeret (her Darkvision active), keeps on eye out for an ambush or trap and the others inspect the poor victim.

Pulling off the hood, the group finds out the big human, knocked himself out trying to escape, while tipping over the chair. His face has the bruises of being tortured, by orcs.

(Margret, your darkvision, is always on in the dark 😜)

"Wow," says Margret seeing the man.  "I'm surprised they let him live. I wonder why, maybe to negotiate? Lets tend to his wounds and our own and report back."

"Who knows?" Rabbit says in response to Margret. "Maybe orcs wanted a hostage? Or maybe he'll tell us when awake." She glances over at Calithor. "Perhaps you could take a look at him? Wake him up?"

She takes a quick look about the cellar and if she doesn't see anything of interest, she will move back towards the skulls made out of butter. She inspects them closely, trying to figure out if there's any indication what they're for. "Maybe he can tell us that when awake too." 

(Perception for just looking about: 3; Investigation for examining the skull things: 15)

Calithor moves in cautiously and examines the apparent prisoner. "You know him?" he asks.

(( If the prisoner looks to be wounded as opposed to exhausted he will use the staff to heal him ))

Medicine: 12

Rabbit, with a 15 investigation, and your passive perception, Skulls look to be made of, butter, as if cast from a mold. Calithor with a 12 medicine you think he's injured but not dying. All with a passive insight10 or above, remembers the name of the ranch, Butterskull.

"I'll do what I can for him," says Calithor as he moves in closer and crouches down beside the prisoner.

One hand grasping the staff, and the other resting on the man's chest, Calithor slowly sends healing energy into the broken body.

Heal: 9 hp

Big Al wakes up and cringes waiting to be hit. "I told ya, what I know!"

Calithor moves his hand off the man's chest, and holds it up, plan outwards in a calming motion. "We're here to rescue you," he says. That's what they always say in the great sagas, isn't it?

"No need to fear, we've killed a lot of them, not sure if there's more."

He offers the man a drink from his water skin and finishes untying him.

"We aren't sure what sort of help you might need sir. We'd be glad to see you safely back to Phandalin," Rabbit says. No matter the connection to the name of the ranch, the butter skulls still seem odd to her. 

Margret still a bit in the shadows, black soot on her face and clothes and a piece of straw in her mouth

”Hey, are you by chance Alfonse? Sildar sent us” 

“Let’s get you into the light”

Krull comment comes out like a whisper "for a guy who makes skulls from butter he is lucky to be thickhead"

Big Al sits up and weakly, drinks from the skin "Thank you, yes the name's Alfonse, who are you? I'd rather, stay here, I'll give ye a award if ye find my cow for me." 

“Let me go check on her for you, sir. My friend Droop stayed with her.”

She winks at Rabbit, and if Rabbit gives her the ok, she’ll head to Droop and the cow to check in. 

Rabbit nods to Margret. "We met the cow on the way onto your farm.  Are there any others here we should be worried about?"