"I could try to break down the door."  Xarian looks apprehensively at the house as Russel struggles with his thieves' tools.

"Or I could pry or bust the lock open.  Does anyone have a crowbar?  Just, if we get in and the family have shut themselves in there, someone be ready with a calming word so they don't think we're looters and panic.  Maybe whack us over the head with a frying pan or something..."

"If we break down the door, it'll make allot of noise" Russel looks panicked, just for a second, but then thinks, then says  "You Girls inside, Osborn sent us!" 

"I don't have such a tool, but I could help you." Apollo says, scratching his head as he watches the red-haired man try to get into the house. "Throwing my weight at it the same time you do might do something."

Russel produces a crowbar from his pack.

"Ok, let's be quick about it," Trystane offers to give a hand (help), too. 

Xarian accepts the crowbar from Russel and help from Apollo and Trystane.  Bracing his threadbare boot against the door, the big man jams the tool into place against the lock and pries it apart with all his strength, hoping they can calm anyone hiding inside before the aforementioned frying pan to the head.

Xarian Athletics at advantage:  23

Though the door couldn't stand up to kobolds, it is no great fortress gate, and the combined might of three men and a crowbar are more than enough to bring it down. The wood around the lock splinters and the door swings open.

Xarian is greeted with a chorus of yelling - ranging from a young child's battle cry, to an older man's enraged bellow. Standing in the doorway, his fear rang true. A volley of household items fly towards him: pots, pans, and mugs(Xarian make a dexterity saving throw, DC 5. Take 1 bludgeoning damage on failure, none on success). 

Standing at the back of the room is a woman, crouched low with a spear in her hand and three children gathered behind her. A man stands behind her - though just barely. Blood runs down his leg and you can see him balancing on the other, holding a shovel defensively in his hands. 

Xarian DEX Save:  21

Accustomed to being pelted by his fellow urchins growing up, the big man barely notices the projectiles as he shrugs them off.  His expression is rueful.

"Do I look like one of those kobolds or bigger scaly things to you?  Or those creepy buggers in the weird cloaks?  We are here to help!  Ozzie, ah... Mr. Crutchley sent us.  His family was supposed to be in the next house down, but no one was there.  Do you know them?  Or where more people might be hiding so we can get you all to safety?  And if you can tell us what in the world is happening here, all the better."

Trying to slouch and look less intimidating, Xarian scans for blonde hair, then turns helplessly to his companions in case they can be more convincing.

Are the kids and the woman blond? Russel checks as he thinks

Apollo accidentally kicks one of the thrown pots as he steps through the doorway himself, letting his glaive clatter to the ground and putting his hands up. "He's right, we don't mean any harm here. Just here to help...Those raiders would get in this house eventually, even if the kobolds couldn't." As he looks over the scared family, he feels a pang in his chest, similar to what he'd felt when Mr.Osborn had pleaded to them. "It's as he said, we can get you out of here safely."

May I play

ooc Temppass follow link please, and please don't post in adventure threads https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post?filter-prefix=8

Neither are blonde, the woman's hair is auburn and the kids' a mixture of her tone and the husband's light brown. Wild-eyed, the woman holds the spear up, still standing defensively over her family. Her eyes briefly flicker to Apollo as his glaive falls to their floor, and you can see her grip on her weapon just barely loosen. She casts a quick glance to the man, then to you again. "Who are you then?" She asks.

She speaks quickly now, answering your own questions. "Bella had some visitors, I assume that's the Crutchleys you speak of. Don't know what happened to them. But anyone in town with a brain would be heading to the keep. We tried to make it there but..." The husband cuts in at this point. "I got injured. One of those damn little lizard men got me in the leg, so we came back here."

Velyzia approach and shows the aura of illusion on her "Don't be afraid, this is only a disguise."
She looked at the lady and her wound. "Let me check that, maybe I can help.... hummm I am not sure"

Rolled 7 in medecine

Xarian screws his long face up, trying to remember what Ozzie had said.  He stows his maul behind his back.

"Ozzie... ah, Osborn Crutchley sent us.  He was one of the merchants whose caravans we were guarding on the way here when we saw the fires and the town under attack.  His wife is Claire, who was visiting her sister Bella with her two little kids, ah... Eva and Oswald, I think?  He wanted us to get them all out, but we can help you too.  One of us may be able to heal."  He looks at Zelyvia uncertainly, and then to the others, maybe Kiya, hopefully.

"We saw a bunch raiders surrounding the church.  Maybe the Crutchley family are in there.  We may need to fight through the raiders to get them out, and then take you all to the keep or back out to the caravans."  He pauses, a little lamely.  "Are you sure the keep's the safest place?  Is it under siege?"

(Xarian is beginning to find that his town guard experience does not help much when understanding tactics of war, or... whatever this is...)

"I suppose, since we broke down their door, we should escort these folk to the keep, perhaps rescue the folks in the church whilst we're at it." Russel suggests "You know, no one left behind. But I do suggest we observe by stealth, before we try."

"Besides, the man needs a healer, and usually, means a church." 

“I don’t know if it is wise to attack the temple head on. We don’t know how strong fighters they are. We might be able to take out a couple of kobolds and a few mercenaries but these lizards have me worried. And if the castle is the last bastion, then the attackers are likely concentrated there, perhaps, we could escort them out of town so that they can make their way to the caravan. There are some guards there and I think it might be a safer place. At least from there a family might be able to retreat further if things develop poorly. A castle is a dead end.” Trystane adds his opinion.

"I agree, let's bring these folks to safety. Then we look what we can do" continues Zelyvia

Kiya meets the large man's eyes for a moment, and she just barely shakes her head. They were just barely beginning their fight in this town. She wanted to help the man, but she wasn't willing to draw upon her magic to do so for a non-life threatening wound. Not when they might need it later. 

"I agree with the caravan idea. Given it's still there. Osborn I expect to have remained, but the others I'm not so sure."

Xarian looks pained.  "Maybe not a head-on attack on the temple, Trystane, but if that is where the Crutchley family is, we have to find some way in and out to save them.  Maybe a side entrance with fewer guards or kobolds or bigger lizards?  Or Zelyvia can trick them again?"

He regards the family in front of him that had been brandishing weapons in fear, wondering if he will need to carry the injured father.

"If this house is no longer safe since we broke the lock and door, maybe they can hole up in the empty Crutchley house while we try to free the folks in the church.  The raiders already ransacked the Crutchley house so hopefully they won't go back there.  Then we can pick them up on the way out.  If you want that is..."  Xarian glances back at the frightened family uncertainly.

"Unless, like you said, we think there is a healer in the church that we need to take this man to."