Burr jabs Gregor with the Bloodspear, sticking him in the side.  The man snarls now, glaring from his perch on the steps.  "You'll pay for that, curr."

West Side:

Giles strikes from hiding, his bolt catching the guard unawares.  Before he can cry for help, two more bolts slam into his chest and he drops to the ground.  Giles sweeps the corpse into some bushes near the fence.

Basement:

Zefla, with her tiny spider companion, race down the steps, past the first floor and into the cathedral's basement.  Their darkvision renders the darkness here little more than a nuisance.  The air down here is damp and cold.  Faint mold clings to the stone, and the scent of mildew competes with the older, mustier scent of long-interred bodies.  In places, the ceiling is 6 foot, while in others, it is barely high enough for Zefla to walk upright; for anyone larger, it would force a crouch.

Rough stone walls divide the crypts into several narrow aisles, some ending in heavy shelves full of bone boxes, others fronted by small sealed alcoves.  These are burial niches, where the ancient, hallowed dead of Vallaki are laid to rest.

As they move deeper, Soren’s eight tiny legs cling to Zefla's collar.  There’s no torchlight, and no sign of any guards, but hushed murmurs echo faintly from a near corner of the basement.  Zefla creeps toward the sound, peering around a sarcophagus.

Bound prisoners, four in total, sit or lie awkwardly on the cold stone, wrists and ankles lashed with rough rope.  They are ragged, bruised — peasants, from the looks of them.  Two of them wear simple tradesman clothes; another looks like a younger woman in a servant’s smock.  A fourth man, older, looks like a beggar.  All four look bruised, bound and beaten, but alive.

As Zefla studies them in the dark, she notices something else: none bear the look like young fighters... these may not be Tobias' missing men.

The prisoners notice her presence almost instinctively.  They freeze and look blindly in her direction, unsure whether this shadowy figure is friend or more of their captors.

Front Entrance:

"Sick 'em, boys!"  Gregor cries.  "I want this man's head on a stick out front by nightfall!"

The guards who had been camped on the east side of the church are on their feet now.  They all begin moving toward the front door, some heading out into the street and other moving through the narrow graves in the cathedral's cemetery.  Three of them dash toward Burr, while the other three raise crossbows.

• Crossbow Attack:  9
• Crossbow Attack:  6
• Crossbow Attack:  4

The two on raised watch platforms at either side of the front of the church laugh, reload, and fire their own bolts again.

• Crossbow Attack:  15
• Crossbow Attack:  4

The two immediately in front of Burr still look cowed, but raise their weapons, in defense of themselves if for no other reason.

• Crossbow Attack:  11
• Shortsword Attack:  15

[Quite sure that all of that misses...]

Gregor stares as one bolt after another misses Burr entirely.  The big man is walking straight through the volley like a juggernaut, ducking missiles, and closing distance with grim determination.  Even the swordsman who dared step close misses with a wild swing as Burr knocks the blade aside with the shaft of the Bloodspear.

"Are you all drunk?!" Gregor barks, voice shrill with anger. "He’s one man!  Swarm him!  Cut him down!  I want him dead!"

[Burr is up!]

• Giles and Tobias' men
• Zefla/Soren
• Guards
• Burr
• Gregor

Burr bites the inside of his cheek letting blood fill his mouth and spill out over his lips and chin, he points the Blood spear at Gregor and charges at him.

Reckless Attack: Attack: 22 Damage: 8 + 3 Radiant

Action Surge-  20 Damage: 13

Bonus Action- Rage.

[Burr, the two guards are between you and Gregor.  If you like, the first attack is enough to hit and kill one guard and Burr could then move through the space.  If Burr would prefer not to kill, we can use your first attack roll as a shove attempt, to push the guard out of your way, but he will get a chance to make a save…. Which if successful would prevent you from moving to Gregor and requiring the same decision to be made about the action surge attack.]

( Burrs just been shot at multiple times he's not really in a merciful mood given he gave them all ample chance not to get involved...Kill and move in.)

Burr gores one of the guards with his spear and then delivers a painful blow to Gregor. 

Gregor screams in surprise and pain as Burr’s weapon slams into him — a punishing strike across the ribs that sends him staggering back into the church doors.  His breastplate turns some of the blow, but it’s still enough to rattle him and draw blood, which runs down his side.  He hisses through clenched teeth, eyes wide.  For a flickering moment, the mask of authority slips and Burr sees fear.

Then his face hardens into something uglier, not courage, but calculation and hate.  Gregor snaps at the nearby guards like a cornered dog,  "Circle him!  Pin him down!"  His voice wavers for half a second, then steadies with venom.  "I want this savage pulled apart.  Legs first!"

Rather than flee through the doors behind him, which might cost him authority in front of his men, Gregor digs in, sword up defensively, trying to hold the line until Burr is surrounded.

Giles, Zefla and Soren are up!

Giles whispers to Tobias and his men, “Okay, everyone ready?  Now is the time to act!  We are going to take out that guard at the southwest corner and move to the corner of the church.  Tobias, either you or one of your men should come with me inside the church, the rest of you I want at that corner hailing bolts down on Gregor’s men, giving Burr support.  Don’t move from cover unless you have to.  If you need to fall back, you can, or you can enter the church to catch up with me if this situation is under control.  Keep Gregor’s men from overwhelming Burr and let him focus in on Gregor.  Everyone ready?  Let’s go!”  

Giles steps slightly to the southeast until the guard in the southwest corner is visible.  He shoots a well placed crossbow bolt at the guard (and if the guard survives, he has the men shoot as well to take him down.).  Then they move to the southeast corner of the church, in position to provide fire down on the other guards who are approaching.  If Tobias wants to remain with his men, Giles will agree, but he wants one of them to accompany him as he makes to enter the church next round.  

Crossbow to SW guard, at adv since hidden : (Nat 20!) 26 to hit, for 13 points of piercing damage.  

Zefla sighs seeing that she didn't find who she was looking for, but grateful there were no guards down here.  She holds her hands up, palms towards the prisoners to show she meant no harm as she walked towards them.

"Shhh... please stay quiet.  I am here to help you and others that have been imprisoned here.  I would like to cut your bindings."  She pulls out a dagger slowly and moving towards what she views as the most capable of the bunch, "Can I cut them off you?"

Assuming she is given the go ahead, she cuts that person free.  As she cuts, she asks, "Can you tell me anything of the floor above?  Where other prisoners might be held?"

(I'm guessing that is all I can do for a turn?  Let me know if you need a roll or if she can do more.)

Hearing rather than seeing that the huddled captives in the crypt, while deserving freedom like all, do not include Emil or the other targets, Spider-Soren echoes Zefla's sigh and grinds his little spider mandibles.  He is deadly worried about what might be happening with Burr at the front of the Cathedral.

Still, he focuses and re-summons Nettle from her pocket dimension, thirty feet back up the crypt stairs ("unoccupied space within 30 feet of you").

The little owl uses her 60' fly speed, Flyby (dashing if necessary) and 120' darkvision to glide around the edges of the cathedral, attempting to keep out of obvious sight while searching for clues as to where Emil (and any other able-bodied captives) might be located, perhaps other rooms or halls, while trying to remain (or at least return) to within 100' of Soren so that she can telepathically communicate what she finds, if anything.

Nettle's Perception (if necessary) to search for clues as to where Emil might be, with advantage thanks to Keen Hearing and Sight:  11

The prisoner eagerly allows Zefla to cut his bonds.  Once free, he begins untying the others.  "Oh thank you, little girl.  The Morninglord himself must have sent you to answer our prayers for deliverance.  Upstairs, they have debased this holy place and made it a den of violence and gambling.  I don't know about other prisoners, but when they brought us our water this afternoon, they said something about executions at dusk.  I was afraid it was going to be us, but perhaps they have someone else in mind upstairs...".

Giles drops the unaware guard with a single bolt, then he and Tobias enter the church.  They find themselves inside a wide stone stairwell.  It rises up to the belltower and down into the basement.  Before them, two closed doors lead into what must be the church-proper.  An owl flutters past them and back out the door before it closes.

Nettle flies up the stairs, where it shares word that it sees Giles and Tobias sneaking it.  It flies out through the door they had just opened and begins to circle the church.  Unfortunately, the colored glass of the windows makes it difficult to make out what lies within the main hall of the church.  It does see that battle has been joined, with Burr surrounded at the front door, but with Tobias' men providing him with crossbow support from cover.

Meanwhile, the other four of Tobias' guards move to the corner of the church and lay crossbow fire down.  Two of them hit the last guard at the front, killing him.  Gregor startles, then shouts, "There are more!  We are under attack!  To arms!  To arms!  Everyone, drive these scum back into the street!"

There is a clatter from inside the church, and the sound of wood scraping on stone.

The rest of the guards from the east end of the church continue surging toward the front door.  Two of them dash and climb over the low iron fence and move behind Burr, but don't have time to attack.  The rest move at a steady pace, reloading and firing their crossbows.  Three target the guards at the far end of the building, holding them in cover there, while the other two target Burr.

• Crossbow:  7
• Crossbow:  19  Piercing Damage:  1

[Burr is up!  Gregor is dodging, so attacks will have disadvantage.]

Burr stabs hard at Gregors neck laughing off the crossbow bolts that bristled around him, " Come, Gregor. Face me!"

Reckless Attack: 10 Damage: 15

Bonus Action- 2nd Wind- 6

Gregor, ready in his defense, bats away the Bloodspear.  Though he is alarmed at the emergence of Tobias' men, he sees the opening presented by Burr's reckless attack.  Eager to bloody the big man and rally his forces, he slashes twice.

• Longsword Attack:  23  Slashing Damage:  10
• Longsword Attack:  21  Slashing Damage:  13

Satisfied that Burr can be hurt, he turns and throws a booted foot against the heavy church doors.  They creak open under the pressure.  Inside, Burr can see some pews have been overturned near the door. Half a dozen more guards have already gathered, roused by the noise outside.  

Gregor’s voice cuts the air,  “To arms, all of you!  They’re here!  The bastards mean to take the church!  Tobias has crawled out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in, and he brought allies!”

"Blades at the ready.  If we hold this ground, we rule the city!”  Then, as if in polite correction for the benefit of someone he looks to inside, he adds. "... in the name of our new patrons, of course." 

And then he slips through the gap and into the church, blood smearing the threshold.  [Burr may take an attack of opportunity.]

[Giles, Zefla and Soren are up!]

Once the man was free, Zefla hands him her dagger.  "Free the others, go up one floor in the West tower and out the West door to the woods.  There should be some men there of Tobias that will greet you (she doesn't know they moved around), I need to find these others that are to be executed."

She turns without another word and dashes back from where she came (unless there are some obvious stairs?  If so, she will creep up those rather than backtrack) and go as far as she can to get to the main floor.

Stealth w/adv: 25

Unless he takes other action, Soren is along for the ride with Zefla.  She emerges back onto the ground floor.  She sees Tobias and Giles near the interior door of the church, though with her stealthy approach, they likely do not see her.

[Giles is still up, as well as Soren if he wants to take any actions.]

((Perception : 22 - he does not see or hear Zefla or Spider-Soren.  But - does he see anyone mustering to the front to form a counterattack?))

Still covered by the cloak of shadows, Giles whispers to Tobias, “You said they would have been held in the basement, in a makeshift jail.  Perhaps we should continue on downstairs and look.  Agree?”  If Tobias nods or answers in the affirmative, he will dash down the stairs, towards where he believes the captives are being held.  

[While Zefla is hidden, I imagine turning to dash down the stairs where she is standing is likely to result in Giles seeing her... or tripping over her.  Is it safe to presume Zefla might alert Giles to her presence a few feet away from him and relay that there is no one in the basement.

The door to the interior of the church is closed, so at the moment Giles cannot see what's happening in the main hall.]

[If Zefla alerts Giles to her presence, he diverts from going down the stairs, saying quickly “What did you find, did you find them?”  Then he would divert to the main floor of the chapel and open the door, looking inside.]

Peeking in through the doorway, Giles gets a good look at the interior of the cathedral.  Some of the pews have been overturned or broken and refashioned into bench seats and a few tables have been dragged in from points unknown.  It resembles a mess hall now, more so that a church.  

At the far end, three bound figures in their underclothes - soldiers stripped of their armor - kneel on a raised dais where the priest once read scripture to his flock.  They are bound and blindfolded, and a single guard stands nearby, his eyes fixed on the front door. 

There, a wounded man is rushing in, and 6 more guards stand ready with shortswords and crossbows.

Closer, just a few feet from the door, another guard stands.  Beside him is another man... not a guard.  He is dressed in robes resembling those on the men who ambushed you all on your return to Vallaki earlier today.

Outside, Tobias' men continue to fire from cover at the guards near the front door.  One of the men near Burr falls, and the other suffers a glancing blow.

Gregor's men return fire, with three of those who had been moving to encircle Burr instead turning their attention on the other guards.  One of Tobias' men suffers three hits - he looks barely alive and is trying to crawl back toward the fence line.

The wounded man beside Burr takes advantage of the warrior's preoccupation with Gregor to attack.

• Shortsword:  24  Piercing Damage:  13

"Har!  That bottle o' brandy will be mine!"

The guard at the far east end of the plaza fires on Burr with his crossbow.

• Crossbow:  21  Piercing Damage:  3

[I'm not sure I will have time to post tomorrow so I am updating the guards turns...

Giles still has movement and action/bonus action, as does Soren.  Tobias will take his lead from Giles.  And Burr can take an AOO on Gregor.

If Giles intends to stay hidden, he should also make another stealth check as he opens the door to look out.

Once all the above is done, it will be Burr's turn again.]

Burr is bleeding heavily from cuts and is studded with a couple of bolts but he is still laughing as blood spills down his chin and over his chest from his mouth.

He stabs out as Gregor flees....

Attack: 25 Damage: 13

As Zefla emerges from the crypts, the air shimmers beside her and Spider-Soren on the halfling's shoulder transforms into half-elven Soren standing in next to Zefla and addressing her, along with Giles and Tobias.  (Bonus Action:  Soren drops Wild Shape).

"Pack-mates.  We must attack without delay.  Gregor has called on the entire garrison outside to attack Burr, lashing out at him and retreating like a coward.  Emil and Tobias' other men who are captives must be inside, since the crypts held only those who cannot fight and Nettle did not see them anywhere outside the Cathedral.  Time runs short and these renegade guards are already alerted.  We must find Emil now and slay those in our way."

He pauses grimly.  "As I said, Tobias, do not be alarmed at wolves fighting by our side.  Nor the skeleton of a great spectral bear.  They are my friends.  Nor at brilliant moonlight shining down under the roof of the dawn lord's Cathedral, searing our enemies."

At that moment, three hoots in quick succession are audible from outside.  Nettle's agreed-upon signal for all-out attack.

(Subsequent post to contain Soren's Action and Movement.)

As he speaks, Soren opens the exterior door to allow Nettle back in.  Then he steps to the interior doors.

Peeking over Giles' shoulder and seeing inside the Cathedral, all of Soren's feels his doubts vanish.

"The time for waiting and watching is over.  They are allied with that cultist there who worships fiends in league with Lady Wachter."  He holds the door open just far enough for Zefla , Nettle (and anyone else) to slip through, then follows after himself, shield up.

Soren speaks soft words in Elvish, evoking brilliant moonlight shining down on the inkiest of nights.  Morninglord, I lack the power to bring back the glory of your sunrise to this dark land, but let Silvanus' wild grace and Selûne's glow sear the corruption from this, your holy place of worship tonight.

Movement:  After stepping to the exterior doors to let Nettle in, Soren enters through the interior Cathedral doors.

Action:  Soren casts Moonbeam with the cylinder centered just NE of Gregor, including Gregor and the two guards just north of it in the AoE.
DC15 CON Save for creatures starting their turn in or entering the area.  7 radiant damage on a fail, 3 on success.

Nettle flies through the interior doors and flaps her wings in the face of the cultist nearby (help action, advantage on next attack against cultist) before flying back out into the stairwell area (60' fly speed and Flyby).

Green circles below show Soren's position and Moonbeam location.