Faith sees the brawler’s impressive speed but he can’t allow himself to be distracted as he runs closer, closing to about sixty feet from the fleeing ambusher. Close enough. 

He whispers his wish to the ring and casts Phantasmal Force imagining a roaring inferno, taller than the tallest man, cutting off the path. 

(INT save 13)

(( Thug's INT Save: 18 ))

Faith's spell is cast, and the invisible threads of the weave of magic bend and warp towards the fleeing thug... only to find his intellect sharper than presumed. His steeled mind immediately notices--and dismisses--the shimmering beginnings of an illusion, and the spell fails to manifest around him.

(( Round 4 ))

Gordon - 19
Bandits - 18
Drex - 16
Locke - 7
Faith - 6

(( Gordon is up! ))

(( Gordon is 60 feet from the fleeing bandit leader. ))

Gordon will dash to reach the leader. 

Running his fastest, Gordon manages to catch up to the fleeing thug; he is now right at the man's heels!

(( Bandits are up! ))

Hearing feet behind him, the thug desperately tries to put space between himself and the party.

The thug will use his move and action to Dash and flee another 60 feet. He is now 200 feet from Drex, 150 feet from Faith, 90 feet from Locke and 60 feet from Gordon.

Gordon - 19
Bandits - 18
Drex - 16
Locke - 7
Faith - 6

(( Drex is up! ))

Drex

I hope this is correct.  

Drex moves 30 ft new range to Thug 170 ft

Action: Dash 30 ft new range to Thug 140 ft

Bonus Action: Dash 30ft new range to Thug 110 ft

Action surge:  Fire Bolt,  19! Damage:  9

Drex adds, "Burn baby burn."

Drex also decides to chase down the last assailant. With a sudden burst of speed and extra effort, he gets the thug within range of his spell, and then fires a flaming bolt at their foe.

The magical fire strikes true, landing on the thug's back and erupting into another mass of flames for the would-be robber. His unusually-weak scream--whether from his injuries or lack of wind from sprinting, is uncertain--cuts abruptly short as he falls face-first into the rubble, becoming still just as the flames die down and then wink out.

(( End of Encounter! ))

(( As a reward for everyone's tenacity, each character gains Inspiration usable at one point during the remainder of this session! ))

The bandit leader falls at the base of a slope, about twenty feet from what appears to be a short, wide cave entrance jutting from the mountain. At this distance, given the angles, only Gordon and Locke can see the entrance... and both adventurers also faintly hear what is either strange growling or grumbling from inside.

(( What will each adventurer do next? ))

*I had been planning on making an opportunity attack grapple, but even without that, the thug seems to have fallen.*

Gordon will put his finger to his lips, then beckon the other adventurers over, readying an action to attack with a handaxe if anything emerges from the cave. 

Locke was readying himself to dash past his companion, when the bolt of fire struck their quarry down. He skidded to a stop, staring in disbelief at the fallen leader for a second, before turning back and giving Drex a nod of approval.

It was then that he noticed the sounds from the nearby cave entrance, and saw Gordon's gesture. The merchant moved to immediately crouch behind a nearby boulder as he glanced back towards the others, waiting to see how they'd react.

Drex

Drex moves slowing his heart rate a bit after that jaunt up to the others saying softly, "Well....I can try and sneak up a bit and get an idea of what that is?"

Stealth,  Rolled 18+10 = 28 in the game log.

Drex advances only as far as he needs to, to get a glimpse of what's making the noise and if possible, comes back to report or hollers out if his goose is cooked.

OOC I tried 5 times to change the text placement to get the roll macro to work but it didn't work so I just ended up rolling in the character sheet.  

Just so you know I wasn't trying to get better rolls with each edit.  It just wasn't displaying the rolls.  It was a simple roll too, so I guess the system is a bit glitchy.

Faith joins them a safe distance away from the cave while Drex sneaks ahead into the cave. By whispers and hushing hand gestures, the Aasimar is clued in to the reason for their quiet and the noises from the cave. 

If not for the battle, his ring might hold enough magic to match his desire to be invisible, but for now its band is dull and tarnished.

No matter. He has his own small magics. 

Faith shapes the weave into a Minor Illusion of a boulder like those the bandits hid behind moments ago, hiding him from the cave mouth. 

To the closest adventurer he reaches out and says a whispered prayer, asking for divine Guidance in what comes next for his ally. 

(Whoever wants it and hasn’t sneaked off yet could have the guidance?) 

Quote from NycrolB >>

(Whoever wants it and hasn’t sneaked off yet could have the guidance?) 

(( Technically no one's gone yet as your actions go into effect, so you can give it to Drex or anyone else you like. ))

Drex creeps towards the cave entrance, taking care not to make a sound, not even a rustling of rubble. Right beside the mouth of the entrance, he leans over and peers inside; his darkvision allows him to spot two orcs just inside the entrance in the dark, each with a greataxe in hand, arguing in low grumbling tones. They appear not to have seen him yet.

(( Drex, give me an Insight roll to determine what you can make of their behaviors. Everyone else, no combat has been initiated yet; you probably have at least a few rounds before you're noticed. ))

Drex

Drex Insight:  12

Drex

Not sure if he got the guidance but if so :  1   Added to 12 for insight check.

(Yeah happy for Drex to get Guidance, good luck brave warrior!) 

(How wide is the cave mouth?) 

(( Drex can tell via body language--including pointing up the mountain and toward the cave entrance--that the two orcs probably know about your presence, and likely even the bandits and the combat. They seem eager to rush out, but whatever they're arguing about is distracting them. The cave entrance is about 7 feet tall but 20 feet wide. ))

(( @Dex: You can see that the argument is apparently finished; the orcs are quiet, peering outside and up the mountain, and seem ready to rush out. Will you specifically do anything? ))

Drex,

Makes his way back to Locke and Faith whispering, "I think they know we're in the are..It looks like they're ready come out of the cave.  I only saw two.  I'll work my way up to get behind them and when you attack, I'll hit them from behind."

Drex moves up as they others come out to challenge the two orcs to get behind them.

“What weapons did they have?” whispers Faith. “It’s best I stay at range I think, and with a cave neck that wide, better to draw them out into the open and be able to get behind them, as we can’t make them come out one by one.”

Faith moves about 110 feet from the caves’ entrance, or as far as time allows.

(( We'll wait a bit to see if Gordon does anything in preparation, then I'll proceed forward. ))