Not wanting to look as if he was going to he a liability, Cassuis doubles down and strikes twice at the Redbrand that is in front of him.

 Attack: 15 Damage: 7

Attack: 8 Damage: 7

Droknin is surprised that his first swing missed, but only connected with the back swing. Then the Redbrand in front of him falls from an arrow through the throat. "Or not. Well, at any rate." He moves south to engage the another one.

Attack1: 6 Damage: 9

Attack2 (BA): 11 Damage: 7

If any of the enemies are still standing, Keashirryl will reload the crossbow and attack. If not, she will look for keys to the cells, investigating the room and the bodies of the fallen redbrands.

Attack: 7  Damage: 1 

or Investigation: 6  

It isn't even a fair fight.  T'laren and Garrin drop one of the villains with ranged attacks, while Cassius delivers a vicious beating to the other.  Droknin once again connects with a backhand slash, though the man may well have been dead already.  

Keashirryl, you quickly spot the cell keys hanging on the middle of the eastern wall, out of reach of either cell.  Otherwise, the room is empty but for some filthy cups and bowls on the floor.

No sooner do the Redbrands fall, then the prisoners erupt into cries.  The mature woman in the cell to the north reaches out through the bars. "Please!  Whoever you are, these monsters have kept me and my children here for days... they say they plan to sell us into slavery!  And my poor husband... they beat him so badly and have not let us see him!  Please, get us out of here!"

Across the room, an older, heavyset man leans on the bars.  He looks to have been here longer than the other three.  His clothes are filthy and he looks like he might have taken ill, yet he is undeniably familiar.  After a moment, it occurs to all of you... you are looking at Harbin Wester, townmaster of Phandalin.

T'laren turns to the woman in the north cells. "Shhh. Do you want more of them down on us?"

He'll leave the releasing of them to someone else.

"Townmaster Wester? You look much worse than you did a few hours ago... It seems someone is borrowing your face. Don't suppose you've got a spineless twin kicking about?"

As he speaks, he'll move about and recover what arrows he can.

Garrin winces and speaks softly. 

"The man back in the cave..."

Confident that the room has been secured, Droknin takes on the guard duties. He stays by the door to make sure they are not surprised.

Keashirryl looks around desperately at the others still in the room, before grabbing the keys from the wall. She first tries to unlock the cell with the three people in it.

"Please, don't run off, or anything. There is still some monsters and people roaming about." she murmurs, while opening the door. 

Hearing Garrin, she nods quickly.

She gives a description to the woman of the man Garrin mentioned, strictly without mentioning that he was dead. "Do you recognise him?"

Cassius will begin to look for signs of a key to open the door to the cells, moving to attempt to pick the locks if he does not come across something within several moments. 

[T'laren, with arrows I do it like this... hits are automatically recovered from lightly armored foes - assuming they didn't escape with your arrow still in them.  Arrows in heavily armored foes, or arrows that miss and hit a dungeon wall or sailed off into the forest, have a chance to break.  In this case, both arrows are stuck in dead Redbrands and are recoverable.  I do expect you to mention the recovery... if you don't write it down, it didn't happen.]

The keys work for both cells.  The woman holds her children close to her.  At the same time, both teenagers eye your group warily and have protective arms on their mother's shoulders.  At Keashirryl's description, her eyes light up.  "Yes!  That is Thel!  Have you seen him?  Oh, I have been worried to death."  She shares their story.  Her name is Mirna Dendrar, and her husband is [was] Thel.  A few days ago, a pair of Redbrands had been harassing their daughter, Nilsa.  Thel and their son Nars confronted the thugs, but they were armed.  Nars, only 13, was no match for the grown men and the Redbrands beat Thel mercilessly and then dragged him away.  Later that night, more of them came back to the farm and seized all three of them.  They have been languishing in this cell ever since.

Harbin Wester looks up at T'laren's comment about a twin, but if it surprises him, he does not show it.  In addition to dirt and grime, his face shows many partially healed bruises.  "How many more of these bastards are left?" he asks, then delivers a hard kick to one of the dead Redbrands.

"Ma'am, your husband is dead. We have to get you and your children out of here. The red brands appear defeated, but there was a monster in these tunnels that did the actual killing. It may still be here. Please, come away from here." Garrin holds a hand up for her to take.

((We actually did do recovery in the fight in town, I got back all but one. In the fountain room, only got off two shots, one hit, one miss but didn't say I recovered them, so I'll assume they're destroyed.))

"Don't think that's all of them... There were twelve reported in here, we did for 6 before, two... got away... Three here leaves one more we've not run into. And the goblinoid allies. And the person playing the role of Harbin Wester?"

The woman's face falls at Garrin's words.  She begins to wail and smash her fists against the stone walls while her teenage son tries to comfort her.  The daughter steps forward.  "Thank you for rescuing us," she says calmly, though her eyes are wet with tears.  "We will get our mother composed.  Just tell us what to do and we will follow you."

((Moving them up through the manor and out the front seems safest?))

(Maybe out from where we came from?)

"No signs of danger yet. Whatever we are to do to help those folks, we may want to do it sooner than later." Droknin says to the folks in the cell room, still looking out of enemies.

Perception: 2 (If needed)

((We don't know then the three bugbears and goblin are returning that way would be my concern.))

(Sorry, I meant where we just came from. What you suggested.)

(I agree with the suggestion above. If / when they pass the crypt, Keashirryl would accompany them, to make sure the skeletons stay. If the whole party goes with them, don't mind the previous part.)

"I am sorry for your loss. I did not know Thel well but from the times I talked to him he seemed to be a good man. It may not be the best sort of condolences but I promise you we will make sure that these scum pay for what they have done to your family and the people of Phandalin." Cassius says as he gives the family a sympathetic look, the large half orc then turning to the other. "We should get them back to town first. I do not want them to be put in harms way and we obviously need to have words with both Harbins...."

Mirna looks at Cassius, her eyes pleading for some unspoken relief from the grief consuming her.  The children help their mother up and follow you out of the prison.

Making your way back out, through the crypt, past the floor trap and into the cistern room, you see that the Redbrand you interrogated is long gone.  Additionally, the barricaded door is now open and there is no sign of the crossbow-wielding Redbrand survivor, either.

Climbing up the cellar steps and through the ruined manor, you do not encounter any resistance and soon you are all outside in the cold night air on the hilltop overlooking Phandalin.  Following the Dendrar's back to their home, they discover to little surprise that is had been ransacked and looted.  Feeling unsafe there, they head instead to the Stonehill Inn.  The streets are dark and deserted in these wee hours of the morning and the tavern lights are extinguished.  A knock on the door soon rouses the innkeeper Toblen Stonehill, and after a brief explanation he gladly takes the family inside and sets them up with a room.

***

With the Dendrars safe for now, you still have the Townmaster with you.  What next?