Pleased at how well the oil worked last time, Tilliman will launch another vial at the grubs, then duck back down behind the crate again.

The oil flask lands with a splash, coating the grubs.

The slippery, disgusting maggots then slide into Eron's space, attempting to do to him what the others could not do to Fane.  

Grub Attack:  1

But they just slip and slide all over his boots, covered as they are in oil.  

[Botting Fane...]

Free of the Rot Grubs, Fane runs back down the stairs and circles the ring of smoke and fire.  She holds a shot with her crossbow, afraid to hit Eron.  She readies a bolt in case Eron gets clear.  She also directs Leo to fly down and harass the Rot Grubs, giving Eron help on his next attack.

[Eron, then Arlynn then Tilliman are back up...]

Eron spins his blades cleaving through the mass at his feet.  “Nasty maggots!”  He then moves away out of the oily area.

Arlynn places her hex on the remaining disgusting swarm of rot grubs and unleashes a dark azure beam of eldritch crackling force towards it as soon as the blade-wielder moves away from it. "Take that you maggots..."

Eldritch Blast: 10 Force: 13 + Necrotic: 3

Eron smashes the last of the slippery, curd-shaped maggots off of him and the pile lies still.  Fane holds her readied bolt while Arylnn blasts the pile with magic once more for good measure.  

The battle with the corpse maggots is over.  The flask of oil from the first pile of maggots burns off, leaving the wine cellar in darkness.

Eron cleans and sheathes his swords, lights another torch.  Takes out his light hammer and begins working to open the secret door.

Tilliman gingerly appears from behind the crate, gesturing towards the oil on the ground. "Glad I bought a few of those."

He then turns to the secret door and grins with anticipation at what might be on the other side. "Now-em... To business... Few things more enticing in this world than a secret door, am I right?"

“Tillman, I’d really like to thank you for your quick thinking.  Here’s a couple oil (flask) to replace the two you so expertly used.  Could you help just uh lever that side of the panel while I pull here.”

Eron is ready to throw his light hammer if a smuggler is on the other side of this door…

(-2 oil (flask))

The secret door is not all that difficult to open.  Once you discovers its a 'push' and not a 'pull' situation, Eron needs only determine which side the hinges are on, and put a good shoulder into it.  The door pushes open with a moderate amount of effort.

It reveals a room much larger than the wine cellar.  This torchlit chamber was once a large storage basement, but it has since been converted into living quarters.  Ten crude beds stand along the south wall, each with a wooden locker at its foot.  A long wooden trestle table ringed by rickety stools dominates the center of the room.  Metal cutlery, cups, and dirty plates sit atop the table.  A cookstove is installed near the table, and evidence of recently cooked meals sits in pots atop it.   A large ham hangs from a loop of twine near the stove.

A sturdy set of stairs leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling above... Surely the same trap door you blocked earlier in your exploration.   

As soon as the secret door is opened, a voice calls out, "Attack!"

Three smugglers have taken positions around the room, watching the door.  All have 1/2 cover based on their positions from the door and the barriers in front of them.  Two have light crossbows and one holds a longbow.  

Initiative:  

1. The Party
2. The Smugglers

Eron rolls quickly through the opening deftly zigzagging his way over to the nearest smuggler near the table.

Tilliman smiles appreciatively at Eron's reimbursement. "Oh, yes, well... Thank you and-eh... Oil make good use of them." He chuckles to himself at his bad pun while Eron opens the secret door.

Once Eron has moved into position face the smuggler, Tilliman will crouch low, trying to remain unseen as he pokes into the frame of the secret door long enough to loose an arrow from his shortbow at the smuggler Eron approached. He then immediately ducks back out of sight again.

The blue-haired half-elf had drawn a sigh of relief as the masses of maggots had been dealt with, giving her rescuers an apprecitive smile and a nod.
She would then hide near the secret door as the blade-wielding warrior worked on it.

Stealth: 18

As the warrior storms into the room beyond to attack the pesky pirates, Arlynn peeks out and places her hex on the first smuggler she can spot before unleashing a dark azure beam of eldritch crackling force towards it.

Place hex on easternmost smuggler.
Eldritch Blast: 22 Another roll in case of advantage due to being hidden: 25 Force: 14 Necrotic: 6

She then moves back into full cover.

OOC: I have internet for a few minutes so a quick post. 

Fane would keep Leo back since they have bows. She would enter and shoot her crossbow at whichever pirate makes sense.

13 to hit, 8 damage. 

Back to the woods thank you for BOTing please continue until tomorrow night!

Fane's bolt just misses the smuggler near Eron, while Tilliman's arrow sinks deep into the man's shoulder.

Arlynn's crackling energy blast impacts the smuggler hiding in the corner, knocking him off of his feet and sending him crumpling into a heap.

The smuggler Eron has closed on drops his crossbow and draws a scimitar.  He slashes once, but Eron dodges it easily.  The smuggler holds his ground for now.

The last smuggler, furthest from the door, lets a pair of arrows fly at Eron.  Eron avoids the first, but there is just too much to dodge and the last arrow finds its mark,

• Longbow Attack 1:  5  (Miss)
• Longbow Attack 2: 20  Piercing Damage:  7

That smuggler then retreats further into the room, ducking behind a table for 1/2 cover.

From his new vantage in the middle of the room, Eron can see a pair of doors in the corner with the now-dead smuggler.  One of the doors is barred by a wood plank, with the word 'Danger' written on it with chalk.

The Party is back up!

Eron takes the arrow grimacing at the pain.  He drops his hammer and draws both swords.  Slashing to quickly end the threat.

Tilliman skitters into the room towards the table 10' Southeast of Eron and calls out to the smuggler, "Sorry about all the ruckus. Didn't expect to find anyone down here. Haven't you heard? This place is haunted!"

He pauses briefly once he has the best line of sight he can manage and looses an arrow at the bandit next to Eron. He then ducks behind the table, trying to conceal himself.

The blue-haired half-elf again peeks into the large room and places her hex on the first smuggler she can spot before unleashing another dark azure beam of eldritch crackling force towards it. 

Place hex on closest still standing smuggler.
Eldritch Blast: 13 Force: 15 Necrotic: 4

She then moves back into full cover. "First one to get me my gear back gets to live!" She calls out.

The smuggler parries Eron's blades, but the missile attack from Tilliman does him in.  

Arlynn's next bolt of eldritch energy hits the longbowman, and then Fane steps into the room with her light crossbow.

Attack:  25  Piercing Damage:  9

The longbowman falls as well.  

If any of them knew where Arlynn's gear was hidden, they don't live long enough to tell.

[Out of initiative!]

Tilliman pops up from behind the table with wide eyes and a smile as he shakes out the remaining adrenaline from his limbs.

"Well... That was invigorating..." He removes his glasses, wipes them, puts them back on and surveys the surrounding carnage. "...I suppose we might've considered capturing one of them alive though. Hm..." He starts moving to the closest body to loot it. "Oh well. Spilt milk and all that."