Faith looks at his disguised comrades. Once again, he regrets not invoking an aspect of disguise during his training at the monastery. 

However, if he can’t disguise himself then he can hide himself, and with two disguised as Redbrand Ruffians and only one ‘prisoner’ it might seem a more effective ruse. 

“Carry me. Throw me to position and call my name when you need me.”

Before anyone’s face can even begin to frown, or pose a question, Faith touches his genie ring. A compartment opens and he turns to dark smoke, vanishing inside. The ring tumbles to the ground with a quiet clink. 

Lena nods and scoops the ring up after Faith's disappearance. "Looks like yer our bait then Matthias, get t' walkin'." She winks at him as she issues the gruff command, making her voice as manly as possible (Performance: 6) and not impressing herself with her efforts. She points towards the room at the side of the cistern, remembering the map to have some sleeping quarters there. and wanting to ensure that there is no-one waiting in there and lurking at their back as they move deeper.

OOC - I'll post an action for this in 12 hours ish.

 Matheris moves toward the door there is something in there.

Matheris opens the door.

Actions:

OOC - I'll be on vacation for until September 10th.   Game on pause starting in a couple days unless I find some time.

(OOC - have a good one, see you when you get back. Won’t be long until shattered obelisk in that case. Will be interesting to see what happens to the mine and town when that drops.))

Matheris opened the door and stayed back hands up, "Hey, there are guards in there."

Actions:

Lena sticks her head in the door whilst keeping her xbows trained an Matheris, "Get up yer shitbags. Boss sent word to take this prisoner t' teh cells. Wants extra hands on 'im. Some fancy-ass magician or summat. Do us a favour an' open em up fer us s' we can keep 'im 'willing'" She wiggles her hand with the xbow at the end never wavering in it's line to their prisoner, though her finger is resting on the trigger guard, rather than the trigger itself - it wouldn't do for someone to jostle her and the hair-trigger go off by mistake. After a moment of incomprehension, and before the guards in this room can coalesce any sensible thought or objection to her orders, she barks loudly at them again. "Move! Now!"

Intimidation: 14 (& 2nd roll of 6 in case of adv / dis)

Inside the ring, Lena’s dulcet tones come through loud and clear, and Faith winces in spite of himself. A born diplomat they are not, but all the better if it sells the lie — and it seems contact has been made with the enemy. 

Regretfully, he places the pipe of his hookah down. Better to be ready to emerge, if this goes sideways, quickly. He strains to listen for the Ruffians’ replies. 

Three Redband guards are on guard here.   

"Alright alright.  Let's get him to the slave pens." 

One of the guards stays put and continues to guard the area. 

The other two lead you through the door to the north.  Thick dust covers the flagstones of this somber hallway. The walls are decorated with faux columns every ten feet, and the double doors at the west end of the hall are sheathed in copper plate, now green with age. A relief carving of a mournful angel graces the doors.  They take turns skirting the north and south edges of the floor.

The open the double doors and lead you through Three large stone sarcophagi stand within this dusty crypt, and propped up against each sarcophagus is a human skeleton clad in bits of rusty mail. False columns along the walls are carved in the image of spreading oak trees. The double doors in the southeast corner are sheathed in tarnished copper plate.

You hear the guard say as he approaches the skeletons, “Illefarn” (the name of an ancient elven nation, which once spread across much of the Sword Coast).  The stone lid of each sarcophagus is carved to depict the person entombed within—two human males and one human female, all of noble bearing.

The guard says, "We can put him in the slave pens with the others." This long room is partitioned into three areas, with iron bars walling off the north and south. Filthy straw lines the floors of those cells, the hinged doors of which are secured by chains and padlocks. A pair of disheveled human women are held in the cell to the south, while a human boy is confined to the north. All are dressed in plain gray tunics and have iron collars fitted around their necks.

A heap of discarded clothing is piled carelessly against the far wall.

Two Redbrand ruffians in scarlet cloaks stand guard here.  "What we got here?"

Actions:

Slavers. If any chance existed for peace and judgement then it has now died. Deliverance and justice are soon to come. These aren’t simple street thugs. Inside his ring, Faith drinks a potion of health.(heal: 9) 

Lena marks their passage, noting the strange mention of 'Illefarn' as they walk past the skeletons making a mental note to remember that one.

As they walk into the slave pens, and Lena sees the three existing prisoners, she tries to recall the name of the missing family... "New occupant... This that woodworker's scrumpet? Don't look all that tasty now." She points at the southern cell with the mother in, before giving Matthias a shove, allowing their infiltrating group to spread out a little before the inevitable conflict "This one is trouble, best cage him alone." She holds her xbows out, waving them around to direct the Redbrands, letting them get used to her no longer targeting Matheris. She subtly positions herself blocking the room's exit, ensuring that all the Redbrands are now clustered in front of her, making sure she has some space between herself and the first target.

She waits, patiently expecting her 'suggestions' to be followed. In her mind she weighs the value of these men's lives and the potential resistance they can mount... Are they worth imprisoning, or should she deliver them unto Kelimvor... It is not a question she ponders deeply, as she considers the treatment of the Dendrar family, and the relative ease they they dispatched eight of the ruffian peers with earlier. As soon as the northern cage is opened Lena lets fly with her bolts, intending to down at least one of the ruffians. "DON'T bother with your weapons... The outcome should be obvious."

@DM - up to you how timings work here and how to apply any damage. She'll target the Redbrand near the cell door first, then move on to those closest to her.

Lena's attack rolls, 1d20, in order, are: 19, 13, 7, 11. Damage roles are 15, 16, 17, 19. 

I will rule that you surprised them with the act.  You do not have advantage as you are seen.  

Even though Lena only hit with one attack it nearly kills the Redband ruffian in one shot.  It's 4 on 3 until Faith comes out of the ring assuming he does, but doesn't have to for the Ruffians to crumble.  Matheris and Karea will likely kill 2 of the 3 unhurt yet leaving 1 nearly dead and one unhurt pending Faiths choice.  Rather than waste the posts of combat, the Redband Ruffians surrender.  

Actions:

Having not been called from the ring, Faith holds his nerve as he hears the combat. Presumably if they have not shouted for him, a surprise attack by his comrades has given a decisive result. He hears the Ruffians surrender and sighs in relief at his choice. 

Maintaining her disguise, Lena oversees the exchange of prisoners, the guards taking the place of the Dendrars. She locks the cell doors and hands Matheris the keys before ushering the family out of the room. "Best talk away from them, we're here t' help yer." She walks out into the crypt, remembering the strange behaviour she repeats it "Illefarn"  then leads the family away from the slave room before talking in hushed tones. "What can yer tell us about the Redbrands? We'll get yer out but have work t' be doin' in here."

The family thanks the group for saving them, "We're not sure what's going on here.  The three human commoners imprisoned here are Mirna Dendrar and her two teenage children, thirteen-year-old Nars and eighteen-year-old Nilsa. A few days ago, the Redbrands murdered Mirna’s husband, Thel, for defying them.  My husband's body is in the hideout somewhere.  We only know the leader is a wizard and big and furry with big ears."

"My family has nothing to offer as a reward, Mirna tells the characters that she might know where a valuable heirloom is hidden. When Iwas a young girl, my family fled from the town of Thundertree after undead overran the place. My family had an herb and alchemy shop, inside which a case containing an emerald necklace was hidden beneath a section of storage shelves. She never dared to return and retrieve it. The shop was in the southeast part of Thundertree."

Mather says, "There's still a guard back in the other area. We should escort them out and help them cross the trapped floor.  I also saw something odd in the cistern we should check out too."

Actions:

"Yer not be needin' t' reward folks fer doin' the right thing lass. We'll try an' find yer man, so 'e can be lain t' a proper rest." She guides the family out of the crypt and through the corridor towards the way they entered the Manor. Turning to Matheris, she says "One guard ain't a worry. Sound like a trapped pig waitin' t' squeal fer us."

The group gets the wife and kids out and deal with the loan guard in the first area of the hideout.

Matheris says, "Go to the town master Harbin Wester. He'll get you squared away.  We've cleared out the ruffians so you'll be safe getting back to town.  We'll finish up here."

On the way back in Matheris says, "I spotted this when we pulled that trick on the guards by the Cistern."  

He reaches down and sees the rope and pulls it up.  A waterproof satchel hangs from a submerged rope attached along the south wall of the cistern.  The satchel contains a potion of healing, a potion of invisibility, 50 gp, and a clean set of ordinary travel clothing.  "Looks like a getaway kit to me."

You loot off the ruffians 8 garnets 10 gp each and 40 gp.  2 garnets each and 10 gp each.

800 xp so far /4 = 200 xp so far.

By the cistern Lena, Karea and Matheris all spot it.  "Whoa...A secret door it looks like."

Actions:

Faith nods along inside his ring at Lena’s word. A rough tongue conceals a good heart, in that one. A good heart and a distressing facility for the application of terminal violence. 

At the notice of a secret door, Faith kneels beside his chaise longe. He offers a prayer to Tymora for luck. While it seems he has been little used he takes the chance to place some linens across his wounds from the brawl on the street. 

(DM, how long was the post Ruffian house search - in his ring, can Faith have taken a short rest?). 

OOC - I believe an hour is a short rest and that would be feasible for the duration of handling the prisoners, confering with the kids and wife.  Getting them out and dealing with the other guard relocating him and coming back to the cister to gather the item Matheris saw and both Karea and Lena would have also seen along with the secret door that they eventually got close enough to spot it.  We are no just deciding on how to move on.

Secret door or back through the skeleton/crypts/slave pens.

I'll advance this forward a bit.

The group find a secret door after searching the cistern and finding the waterproof bag.  Matheris says, "Let's check this way.  We already know what's the other way.  Everyone one stay alert too.  Let's get Faith out too."

Matheris calls Faith from the ring.

Matheris leads the way and opens the secret door.  Matheris goes into stealth mode as he steps through the door.  

Matheris Stealth!  30

A cold breeze fills this large natural cavern, carrying with it the faint scent of decaying flesh. A crevasse divides the cavern and is flanked by two rough stone columns that support the twenty-foot-high ceiling. Two arched wooden bridges span the chasm. The rough-hewn passage to the south, which continues off the map for about one hundred feet and emerges from a tunnel in the woods south of Tresendar Manor. The passage is an excellent way to smuggle people or goods in and out of Phandalin without being seen and is thus perfect for a gang of slavers and thieves.

You see two bridges one in the south and one to the north.  Your passive perceptions all spot the nothic on the west side of the north bring.  The south brings looks old.

Matheris holds up a hand to signal to stop.

Actions: