Ja'Dul keeps an eye on the pickpocket while being morally supportive of Pushover.

The halfling stumbles past your group and does not get too far as he falls forward and stays there for a bit. After an awkward pause, you can hear snoring coming from him.

An elven female guard faces the party as they approach, while the other two stay near the sinkhole. The elf had a bit more of a decorated badge upon her than the other ones as she gives a sigh of relief, "Finally, I never thought that I'd have to guard a literal hole in the ground. But let's get on with it as I also have some paperwork that needs your signatures." She rolls her eyes, "Nothing but paperwork and signatures since the newest Masked Lords got seated, but what can you do about it? Anyway, which one of you is," She takes a scroll out and reads it once more, "Ozgood the Ugly?"

Pushover opens her mouth to talk when the name is announced, but keeps it hanging open silently for a couple seconds. She realises that there must have been a mix-up with the names of the adventurers meant to arrive, but the party needs to get in, and the guard did  ask for a face to the name, so she settles on telling a white lie to make things easier, instead of nobody owning up to such a ludicrous identity and possibly losing the party's access. She politely says 'Ah, yes, that will be...my friend here.' She quickly retreats to the back of the group, ushering Trix forward and giving them a slight jab with her elbow as she passes to try and make them change their features into something more unflattering, just to fit the title.

(Rolled a 5 for Trix's History.)

Trix is presented before the guard, just as she is. She gives an awkward salute to the guard. The guard raises a brow but nods. "Good to meet you, Ozgood, I am captain Mergen Truff. I've heard about some of your accolades and hope the task will be easy for you...so I suppose that would make you all her companions then? Carlot 'Squeaky' Wickel, 'Great Maul' McTickleton, Lord Pompey Fuggelstruck, Squinty Pip, Mad Haddey Flagon, Fippance Gibberjaw, right? I just have to put a face to these names so I can verify that these individuals did the task at hand for the report."

“That’s pronounced Lord Pom-pay fuggel-struck” valiant steps forward, chest puffed and nodding with that high nosed how dare you pronounce my name improperly way all nobles knew seemingly from birth. 

valiant stood; looking down the brow of his nose at the guard, before picking at his fingernails for a while while the others introduced themselves. 

Pushover also steps forward and says ‘Miss Haddey Flagon, at your service, though I assure you that I’m not mad. Ugh, no Aebelskink, I won’t steal her teeth!’ 

*Squinty Pip would be me* Ja'Dul places a hand on his chest and bows.

Sigurd cleans his ear with his pinky, looks at it and flicks any debris away.  He just looks at the elven guard, obviously bored and with the group.

Gabe responded with a tired sigh, bringing up the proverbial (and literal) rear alongside the dour, bored Barbarian.

The captain gives a shrug, "I suppose the two at the back are 'Great Maul' and Gibberjaw then." The captain passes a scroll to Trix and points to the middle and bottom of it. "Sign here and here. And while you're reading it over, I'll give a briefing about your task. The fissure had happened two days ago and opened up into a system of tunnels. We currently have no records of such tunnels and have no information on what might be down there. The warehouse itself is stable for now as long as no one breaks a support."

"The contract you are signing is fulfilled only if you all investigate and clear every tunnel the fissure exposed. After you are finished, a city surveyor will be assigned to map the area, and an engineer needs to assess the integrity of the tunnels to ensure that no further collapses are imminent. If either professional is injured or killed because of negligence on your part, then your party and Acquisitions Incorporated will be held liable."

"Two of the City Watch have already gone into the fissure, Sergeant Ava Teeshe and Constable Yander Boot, just yesterday. So far we have not heard or seen them since. My team and I shall remain on site until the fissure is totally explored. Hopefully finding fellow guardsmen as well."

"Understood." — the Sorcerer piped up, breaking his silence, and beginning to move past the guards, towards the proverbial gaping maw in the ground that would hopefully not swallow them whole — "Anything else we should know? Rumours, noises, anything along those lines?"

Valiant didn’t like this contract…. But then again, it wasn’t in their heads…. 

“Be sure to safe all your people….” Giving them a nod….

”are we done here? We have work to get to…” 

She shakes her head, "These are the dock wards. Most people here are already on edge with us here, any rumors here are baseless and most likely said to avoid more questioning. And unfortunately no, there's been nothing except the occasional creaking and the store next door."

Looking into the warehouse, in the areas where the walls and ceiling didn’t collapse, this warehouse contains no crates, no boxes, no barrels, and no wares of any other kind. Directly in front of the missing door, the walls, ceiling, and floor have fallen away to reveal a deep sinkhole fissure. Inside the ruin, a hempen rope anchored firmly in the rubble dangles down into the darkness. The tear in the earth descends at an angle, making it impossible to see how far down it goes or what waits at the bottom.

*Interesting* Ja'Dul secures another rope and tosses the coil into the hole. Then he lights a torch and begins his descent.

I hope there are no spiders down here. I hate spiders.

Sigurd absentmindedly fidgets with Ja'dul's knot. He realizes he is not at sea, glances at the Thr-kreen and whispers, "My apologies, force of habit to double check. Onboard ship, mistied knots can mean injury or even death for the crew during rough water."

Ja'Dul's descent into sinkhole fissure ends at a level floor of worked stone. Dust, debris, rocks, and pieces of wood that once made up the walls and ceiling of the warehouse above are spread across the floor. An underground passage is blocked to the south, but it continues into darkness to the north. Two pairs of human-sized boot prints, easily spotted in the dust, head northward. Smaller fissures, holes, and cracks riddle the passage, though even a halfling would find the largest of them a tight fit.

*Come down. It is safe....for now*

He stays vigilant for dangers

PER check 7 

Sigurd follows Ja'Dul,  (perception check (+5): 18

Pushover begins to rappel down the rope, one hand holding her spellbook, another on the rope, and both feet planted on the rocky incline. She is pretty successful at moving down, or at least for the majority of the way, as just as she nears the bottom, Aebelskink seemingly spooks her, and she tumbles back with a squeak onto the stone floor in a cloud of dust, Aebelskink (who she tossed into the air when she fell) landing perfectly on her lap.

She gets up and brushes down her skirt, then stares at the walls and down the passage. She briskly says 'I have a spell that could do the trick at searching some of those smaller holes in the walls, but it would take a while to prepare, and I'd rather keep on the move...', all the while keeping her eyes peeled for anything intriguing, dangerous, or perhaps further clues. [Investigation: 16]

*Well, unless we want to try to unblock that way* he points south, *There is only that way* pointing north.

Holding the torch in a false hand, Ja'Dul waits. Maybe the brawny fellow will go first.