Gallant will continue to walk but he will whisper to the rest of the party, “We are being followed. Act naturally but be prepared to fight.” The his hands begins to crackle.

"I suppose that saves us the trouble of having to find them, looks like we aren't making it to the tower today after all." Gawain says quietly, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "If they decide to take their chances with us, it wouldn't be a bad idea to capture them and take them back to Greenest. I'm sure they have jail cells."

"Capture?" Hildr scoffs, "Better to pepper the countryside with their heads on pikes."

Shield clutched tightly against her left flank, she reaches around slowly with her right hand and furtively removes her sword from its sheath.

"Maybe one captive. For information. Leave that to me."

"I don't think the people who live around here are the type to appreciate heads on spikes..." Iris says, her voice just barely above a whisper. 

As you continue on your way, they don't seem to be interested in confronting you yet. After about 30 minutes of this, you lose sight of them entirely as they seem to drop back further into the woods. The terrain begins to change the further you travel, becoming more uneven and rocky.

On either side of the path, there's now an outcrop varying between 5 and 10 feet in height. A faint drizzle continues, and the area is still cast in a faint mist.

A further ten minutes down the road, you turn a bend in the path to find it blocked by a pile of logs, along with four humans sitting atop them, dressed in leather armor and armed with long curved blades. Once they spot you, a short but muscular woman with a shaved head slaps the shoulder of one of her fellows, gripping her blade and hopping off the log pile. "Well hello there lovelies."

While the other three collect themselves, she gestures towards your group with her blade. "Weapons, belongings, and any coin you have on the ground now. Then if you like, in the name of the Sunless we'll spare your lives."

Crannoc nods to himself.  City-life may make little sense to him, but this little interaction of bandits or highwaymen, he thinks he understands.  Just as he understands the demeanor of his companions, knowing that they, especially Hildr, have about as much chance of accepting the bandits' terms as a wolf does of showing his belly to a weasel in submission.  Quietly, he steps behind the muscular Illuskan's large form as if cowering slightly in fear.

While out of view, murmuring to himself, he calls on Silvanus to Bless Hildr, Gawain and himself.

Both Hildr and Gawain feel somehow as one with nature, the dappled sunlight warm and invigorating on their skin while seeming to illuminate perfectly where to strike the enemy past their defenses.  (Add 1d4 to attack rolls and saves).

Gallant will one step forward by a step and say, “Well lucky us, we have found the infamous Sunless Gang, could you do me favor and tell me why you call yourself such a idiotic name. Truly it boars me and my friend Hildr to sleep.” He will then bring his hands over his mouth as if he yawning and cast Sleep on the group and give Hildr bardic inspiration. 

Sleep22 

(Roll Initiative)

18

Crannoc initiative:  23 (nat. 20... perhaps not the best time for it...)

Gawain: 9

Irisviel Initiative: 13

Hildr's initiative: 11

As Crannoc begins to chant behind Hildr, the woman snarls, "the hard way then. Get 'em boys!"


Order -> Crannoc followed by Gallant

Gallant will pull out his lute and move his full movement backward which is 35 ft. While he is running back he will cast Faerie Fire with blue wind brushing past the bandits. They need to make a DC Dex 14. 

As described above, Crannoc calls the dappled, soothing and focusing sunlight of a calm woodland glen to help himself, Gawain and Hildr (Bless).

(Add 1d4 to all to hit rolls and saving throws while Crannoc maintains concentration up to a minute).

As a bonus action, he uses his Telekinetic shove to pull the bandit in the rear off the pile of logs to make sure he does not have any cover from the logs.

(DC 15 STR Save or be pulled 5' towards Crannoc).

Wooden shield at the ready, with his movement, he steps up 15' northeast to engage the easternmost bandit in melee, just to the southeast of him/her.

Reaction - 

Bandit (C) Strength Save: 4 (game log, but I only sent to self on accident. Future rolls will be visible to all.)

The bandit sitting atop the pile of logs is suddenly yanked forward by an invisible force, cursing as he stumbles down the pile, nearly crashing into the female bandit in front of him in the process.

Bandit (A) Dex Save: 14
Bandit (B) Dex Save: 17
Bandit (C) Dex Save: 6 
Bandit (E) Dex Save: 18

The group does their best to dodge out of the way of the blue motes that breeze past them, but the man Crannoc had pulled from logs is still regaining his footing, and becomes covered in the blue light.

One the bandits, a shorter than average man with thick curly light brown hair and bushy sideburns runs forward towards Gawain, almost immediately taking a long gash across his torso from the paladin's counter. He continues forward, face contorted in pain and anger as he slashes at Gawain with his scimitar.

Scimitar Attack Roll: 4
Scimitar Damage Roll: 6

As the fighting breaks out, you hear a rustling to the southeast as another bandit breaks out of the treeline, he pulls a crossbow to the ready, and fires a shot at the retreating Gallant.

Crossbow Attack Roll: 20
Crossbow Damage Roll: 5

Concentration Check DC: 10

The Bandit affected by Faerie Fire has a blue overlay.

Order -> Iris 

When the fight breaks out, Iris moves to the right to stand next to a Hildr, getting a better view of their opponents. Thinking quickly, she begins to to chant arcane words, weaving motions in the air with one hand while reaching into one of her pouches with the other.

Throwing a pinch of sand into the air, she casts Sleep. "Don't break the enchantment!" She calls out to the others.

The wounded bandit in front of the Gawain, the woman, and the man whom was previously on the log pile all look around for a moment as Irisviel's spell takes hold. They get a distant look in their eyes, which then roll back into their head as they fall to the ground unconscious.

Of that group of four, the expression of the one remaining bandit changes from one of fierce determination, to panic. "Oh shits." He swings his scimitar wildly at Crannoc before scrambling up the outcropping, running towards his friend that just broke out of the treeline.

Scimitar Attack Roll: 21
Scimitar Damage Roll: 3

The Bandits affected by Sleep have a pink dot.

Order -> Hildr then Gawain