Drux clicks his tongue at the woman and started to try and angle himself so he'd presented the bigger target and threat in comparison to his fellows. However, realizing or better yet remembering with Piers taking point that diplomacy was desired, he'd relax his posture a tad and instead divide much of his attention going forward between keeping an eye on the doorway behind them and the unfolding situation with the wizardess.

(BTW anybody help with persuading the lady in distress? )

(Help action) With a mental roll of her eyes at Piers, since they just lost their back up in the fog. "We've foiled the necromancers vision mi lady." She says quietly, with a wink "It wont last long, come with us, we have a place too hide you." She says, trying to help, then thinks to Piers, "Seriously? We haven' even met her, and you're calling her an enemy, old cliches don't work sometimes. "  

(19 persuasion roll it ll be with cats help)

"I didn't mean it like that..I merely used an old proverb..Oh come on Cat did I make such a huge mistake?' mentally replies Piers with a look that says he messed up 

Trying to fix it Cat hears in her mind 'if she doesn't attack us then I can resume my previous form and lead us out of here'

"Don't know, like you said, we'll see how she reacts." she thinks

the woman looks at piers, still a bit cautelous, but she appears to trust you "if you really are an ally like you say you are. . .then, take care of those brutes outside! i fear that they might try to do something to my inventions, and i will NOT let anything happen to my babies." she responds "i will not leave my home, there are a lot of valuable assets inside!" she looks at the direction of an open door, and you can see some kind of garage with a big metallic submarine inside, as well as some unfinished gadgets 

suddently, the smoke is cleared as a powerful gust of wind passes trough the area, the dwarf is up on the ground, looking at the group of the fleeing bandits with rage. he turns back to the house, and his eyes lock into the party. he grits his teeth "wait a minute. . .i know you! you're the ones that disrupted the ritual! . . . well, no mather, your rotting flesh will serve as fertilizer for new relics" he says, with the other thugs quickly regaining their composture and looking at the group, drawing their weapons

Piers will cast fog as a reaction and will say quickly 'its now or never..we need an escape plan!"

Even before the woman had fully laid out her desire, Drux quietly let out a defeated sigh before bracing himself before the doorway in anticipation of the inevitable. And he was not disappointed, to say the least. "Up yours, dwarf. The only thing that'll-..." But he doesn't get out the rest if Piers commits to his spell before being somewhat startled by the second fog bank conjured for however brief a moment.

"Tch... Could least let me finish!" Drux says half jokingly while slamming the door shut and bracing himself against until someone either bade him to do otherwise or reminded him to shift back all the old blockage back into place. 'Doubt this'll hold'em for long! You sort her out quick, or get ready to scrap. 'cause I don't think we're slipping out here unscathed' He add quickly through the link to all.

(Edit: To lightly account for Cat's suggestion below)

Making sure her party hears this in their minds "Other than knocking out the woman, I don't think we have a choice, but to battle the thugs, Piers.. If that one casts a spell again I suggest you don't waste another fog cloud." 

  She moves over to Drux then addresses the woman. (Hopefully next to the door with the wall between them and us.) "Those guys are necromancers, they know where you live, mi lady, you have something they want.  Unless you know how to set wards, or have some legendary defense, or offense, even if we kill those thugs, others will take you, sooner or later. Unless you hide, you won't have a home or life, anyway." 

She readies a psi blade.

"It seems they have a wizard,. lady I suggest you back us up!"

Piers being confused holds his hand from casting the fog.."Oh now that would be great news ..having to engage those scoundrels and the lady at the same time.Absolutely blasting news!  whispers 

"I put my faith on you Cat'  says mentally and waits

Cat glances at Grinda Garloth looking for anything she's favoring that would contain, the stone, if worse comes to worse. 21 Perception.

14 passive perception.

Cat cannot see anything on glinda- not the sone, or anything else, only her spellbook and the staff "they won't they do not care about me, they care about the stone. i decided to keep the stone for myself . . . oh that was a bad idea. .. you know what. .. i will tell  you where i hid the stone, so you can keep it for yourself!" she says it outloud, probably so the dwarf and the thugs can hear it. "after they know i don't have it, they will focus their searches elsewere!"

as the fog cloud comes, once again it is disperced, as a slender female human stands behind the dwarf "that was fun to watch. . .to see someone as . . . "high" . . .as you to be easily fooled by some commoners." she says the last part with a mocking tone 

"don't- stop talking and throw a fireball at them or something!" he responds, angry 

"na-ah, if we cast big spells every time a mosquito came to bite us, there would be no land for our lord to conquer. just get the stone, noska, and we can forget this. ..  humiliation."

"wathever. . ." he grunts, as he raises his left hand, revealing a crossbow "attack!"

grinda looks at them, gulping "i-i can give small support, but i'm not a fighter, so don't expect me to cast some impressive spells!"

roll init - battle start

Drux initiative: 14.

Cat Initiative 21

Piers initiative 16

 Lore Initiative 18

I guess I'll play him till Eresh is back.

( okay i auto-rolled for lore and he rolled a 3.)


the dwarf calls to something in the water, and a humanoid aquatic creature surfaces from the water, holding an arpoon. it grunts, ready to attack 

order: Cat  - bandit B - piers - drux - bandit A - dwarf - bandit D - bandit C - lore - Merrow - Glinda

Cat's turn 

"Crap!" Cat, worried about being overwhelmed, tries to push the furniture back in place.