"Anything the matter Cheddar?" Tylaerys asks with a friendly smile from her horse. 

Cheddar:

Cheddar's tail sways back and forth while he is deep in his thoughts. 

He goes along with the party, looking for more information on the terrain and the army the party faces. 

Finn, the owl anticipated you may want to avoid the enemy, or at least the ones waiting to ambush you.  It already found a path leading to the west, around and beyond a wide, flat plateau.  This would keep you well out of sight of either of the groups of cultists and only add about 6 miles to your journey.

The path is simple enough to navigate, with guidance from the owl reminding Finn when it is safe to turn back toward the trail to the cultist's lair.  The terrain is a bit rockier here, causing the horses to move more slowly to ensure safe footing.  You don't encounter any resistance, but for a small wolf pack.  They are feeding on the carcass of a mountain goat when you come upon them.  Only three wolves, they curl their lips and bare their fangs, but give ground to your superior numbers.  They back off and melt into the surrounding boulders, until your party has passed by and they can return to their kill.  A buzzard, less put off by humanoids on horseback, takes the opportunity to land on the carcass and start gobbling up as much goat as it can before the wolves return.

Eventually returning to the path toward the raider camp, you spot the hollowed out plateau rising in the distance.  While your path took you on a detour, as the crow flies this camp is little more than 20 miles south/southeast of Greenest.  Jirel, with her experience wandering wild places, would be confident she could find her way back here, or communicate sufficient directions to another tracker.  It surprising such a large martial encampment could exist so close to the town, but then again, these hills and plateaus break up the terrain and prevent observation of any distance.  You cross a few roughly cut horse and wagon trails, with the brush cut back and rocks cleared, all of them heading off to the west.  It is late afternoon as you approach... the sun is still above the rocky hills and plateaus but shadows are starting to grow longer and it will be nightfall in another hour or so.

Passing a horsetrail, Tylaerys alerts you all to approaching hoofbeats from the west.  You spot three riders headed your way.  They are moving quickly and comfortably on the tricky pathway through the rocks and all of the horses are laden with heavy saddlebags.  There are some obstacles (large rocks, etc) between you and the riders, but if they are paying attention to what is in front of them, they may have seen you already.  They are about 400' off right now, approaching where you are currently riding - where their trail intersects with the now well-established trail leading to the raider camp up ahead.

     "What's our play, Ty?" Finn asks in a quick but hushed voice despite the distance still between the two groups.  "Hide, deceive or attack?"

     Finn would put her money on hide or attack, she usually wants to know more about the targets before attempting to deceive.  Still, all three tactics have pros and cons and she's confident they could pull any of them off.

((OCC: how are the riders dressed? military uniforms or something else?))

[Perception checks to get a better look at these riders?  I'll use the first 2 perceptions checks to be submitted.] 

"Something seemed to trouble you before Cheddar, anything the matter?" Tylaerys asks with a friendly smile from her horse.

Cheddar perception roll: 23

"Not Sure" he responds. "If those riders you alerted us to are from this army you might get the fight you wanted." 

[Don't need a 2nd perception check!]

The riders do not look anything like the cultists you saw last night.  All three are wearing mismatching sets of armor, two in leather and one in a rusty breastplate.  The accents are all in browns, dirty greens and dusty looking yellow.  Capes trail behind them, though they look to be made of... burlap?  There is a certain style to the outfits, as though the cobbled-together look may be by design.  

They ride well and seem to know their way along the path.  Each horse is strapped with a large, full saddlebag.  They are also armed: a light crossbow hangs within reach of each rider, and the man with the breastplate has multiple other weapons, including blades, axes and javelins in his pack or strapped to his horse.

((Not sure 1 was needed...got a nat 20 on it :D))

Cheddar will convey this to the party. 
"HHmmm.." Cheddar says. "They are wearing mismatched armor and have full saddle bags. It makes me suspect they are more like bandits than the cultists we have seen. Do we avoid them or engage?" he asks. 

"I don't know Finn, I think most importantly none of them should be able to report back to the secret camp that we are here. I suppose we should be able to take them out, possibly by deception, and having one to interrogate could be helpful, but I guess we could also try to hide among the rocks." Tylaerys says to Finn with a grim nod.

"What do you mean Cheddar, why are you saying I want to fight." Tylaerys says giving Cheddar an incredulous look. "If you're referring to me suggesting we should take out those other groups earlier I tried to explain, several times in fact, that the reason was I feared, and still do, that we may face them as we hopefully return with freed townsfolk. Do you have a problem with me Cheddar?" The blonde half-elf says with a frown.

     Finn tries to ignore the booming drama and instead goes to Jirel, indicates the rope she has and asks "May I?"  

     Assuming Finn gets permission, Finn will grab one end of the rope and have Jirel tale the other.  Finn will quickly try to find a good ambush spot the riders are sure to ride through that the rope can stretch across and indicate for Jirel to tie the rope on one side of the spot while she ties it on the other.  Once the rope is taut and tied off, I'm thinking about ride chest high, Finn will use Minor Illusion to make it appear as if the path is clear of the rope impediment...  And will then try to hide nearby.

[Horses are trotting in your direction at 8mph.  Beginning 400' away.  Assuming Finn begins this process immediately upon sighting them, she has just about 36 seconds to get off the horse, get the rope from Jirel, select the spot, tie the rope off, cast the cantrip, and hide. Jirel will also need to be taking the rope, tying it off, and hiding.  And meanwhile, everyone else and the horses will need to be hiding as well.  If that is the plan I will need Stealth checks from everyone, Animal handling from Tylaerys, Jararaka and Cheddar (with one rolling at disadvantage because they are trying to get two horses to hide), and an investigation check from Finn to pick the right spot.  Finn might think this is possible but would also recognize this would be incredibly tight on the timing.

I'm also not sure Minor Illusion can make things invisible, but honestly if you pull off all of the rolls, I would just give that to you.]

Cheddar scrambles down and tries to hide.
Stealth: 23

Animal Handling: 1

Tylaerys looks over at Finn as she starts to set some kind of trap for the riders with the help of Jirel. She throws Cheddar a sad glance before riding over to Jirel's horse, taking it somewhere behind the trap Finn is preparing, then using her draconic powers to create an image of another large rock, covering herself and the horses, readying her crossbow for the riders arrival.

Using Silent image to cover Tylaerys and the horses with the image of a large rock. 
Rolls if still needed
Stealth: 18
Animal handling with disadvantage: 7

Stealth: 5

Investigation: 18

     As Finn begins setting the trap she sees the others were not prepared (likely as she told nobody what she was doing) and she likely does not have enough time to pull it all off anyway. Damn, she thinks, but takes in a deep breath, turns to the oncoming rides, raises a hand in greeting and calls out "Oh, hi!  Welcome riders!  Forgive me, I thought you were one of them..." in her most charming and naive sounding voice.  "I've been on the run from some cloaked maniacs and their kobolds for an hour.  I thought you were more of them, thank the gods you are not!"

((Did not realize just how quickly they would be upon us so Finn attempts to change tactics midstream...))

Deception, Persuasion or Performance (all the same modifier): 18

Cheddar stands with his mouth open staring at Finn. He recovers and stoops down behind the largest item he can find and pulls his crossbow and loads it, preparing to shot if Finn is threatened. 

The three riders continue to draw closer but pull up on the reins as Finn reveals herself.  Their horses whinny in protest to the sudden halt but they do not entirely stop, continuing to advance but much more slowly.  The man in the breastplate immediately reaches for an axe, but the rider in front holds up a hand to pause him.  You are able to get a much better look at all of them now.  The rider in front is a human with long dirty-blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard.  Alongside of him is a dark-complected man of uncertain elven ancestry - perhaps a half-drow.  Both these men are handsome and approach confidently.  The third man, in the armor, is something else altogether.  He has patches of dark black hair all over his face, and there is something doglike in his features.  He looks monstrous.

 "Ho, there.  No need to frighten yourselves," the human rider in front says calmly, as he dismounts.  He continues to walk purposefully towards Finn.  "And you can tell your friends to come out - yeah, I see you back there," he points out Cheddar.  He then clicks his tongue and the horses all wander out from behind the illusory rock. [Tylaerys can remain hidden behind the rock illusion.  If anyone else still wants to try to hide, roll a stealth check but the DC will be 23.]  The other two riders hang back, still on their horses.

"Maniacs and kobolds, huh?  Yeah, I'm afraid I know the sort.  Definitely not the types to trifle with... why I shudder to think what that lot would do if they got their hands on some lost lasses and their... cat."  He rubs his temple as if the thought pains him.  "Now, as it happens, my associates and I are here to deal with those very scoundrels.  Its dirty, black business, but then again that happens to be our specialty."  Then he slaps the side of his own head.  "Morty, Balthazar... where is my mind and where are my manners.  I failed to intoduce myself."  Now he extends a hand toward Finn, the same hand at his head moments ago, but now there is a glittering business card between his fingers.  "Jozen Ivory, at your service."

The card:

 "Were it any other circumstance, I would insist upon escorting you fine folk back to civilization, personally.  But it happens to be a very particular circumstance; one where timing is critical."  He frowns.  "So... I am afraid the very best that I can do it point you back in that direction," he points back down the trail they have just come in on, "and encourage all of you to forget all about this place, and how very close you came to a very nasty ending."