Xari approaches Elva and Joren, awkwardly and almost shyly, presenting each with a javelin from his brace of six, leaving four for himself.  He spends a couple minutes showing the two how to hold, thrust and parry with the weapons, both in terms of hand positioning and basic footwork.  The scorched burns from the half-dragon's lightning make it painful for Xari to move in ways that stretch his skin, but he manages to stutter through gritted teeth:

"D-don't think I need to tell you, but it comes to it, don't be ch-charging in like some maniac."  No irony tinges in the big man's quiet, quavering voice, despite his being the one who usually charges in himself.  "Stay to the rear and tr-try to discourage r-raiders from picking off the other civilians."

With that, Xari resumes the first of his repeated castings of Blade Ward, shambling along in a graceless slouch, shockingly resembling a (large) cultist.

Xarian's Deception:  17

The two take the javelins and nod solemnly, listening to the big man's instructions. By the end of his lecture, they don't seem likely to be ones charging in - even if he hadn't warned them.

With the unarmed and undisguised townfolk in the middle, your group sets off to the east, avoid the main road in favor of passing through the greens along the northern edge of town. There are few raiders out this way, though you do pass a few groups coming in from the trees to the north. They cast passing glances your way, but otherwise seem convinced by your charade. 

Eventually you make it back to the tavern, albeit around the north side this time around. You lead the group over the fence around its property - Myrren and his people hang back for the time being, crouching in the shadows. You didn't see any raiders on the west side of the building as you came around...And as you walk up to the back door of the inn, you find the door locked. There are windows along the wall to your south that let you see into the common area and a lounge room. Both are empty.

Evelyn steps up to the door wordlessly, pulling out a set of picks and crouching down to work on getting it open.

[Thieves' Tools]: 9

Despite working with the tools a little clumsily, the lock is very easy, a mere single pin tumbler. With a slight click the lock gives - the door is unlocked.

"M-maybe I'm being p-paranoid here..." Xari's voice certainly sounds a little paranoid in the dark of the alley behind the tavern.  "But at this point, the leaders of this attack might have started to become aware of us.  Folks in town who are f-fighting back.  Could see them trying to b-bait us."

The big man takes a deep breath.

"Feels like w-we are well hidden here for now.  Maybe a couple of us... Had, Aimon?  Do a quick, sneaky circuit round the outside.  Check for an ambush before we enter to look for hiding t-townsfolk, while I stand guard here in my loud armor.  Your choice to go with or stay, Evelyn."

While he waits for a response, he casts Blade Ward once more.

"Maybe. I'm not sure if they've had time to organize an ambush for us quite yet though."

Still...Hadrian figured it wouldn't be the worst idea to go take a quick look around. First however, he puts an ear up to the unlocked door to see if he can hear anything through it. Then when Aimon is ready, he sneaks (very poorly) around the side of the building to get a look around the front.

Perception: 19
Stealth: 7

Aimon pales at the suggestion that he sneak around the inn. That seems like an important task and he's only a merchant (a good merchant, but still just a merchant). But he can't refuse, that would be cowardly, so he nods to Hadrian and sets off around the tavern, creeping as quietly as he can, hoping to whatever gods were looking down on him that they don't find anything.

Stealth: 16

Hadrian
You hear a thudding and creaking through the door, like wood straining under the stress of successive blows. There are muffled voices. Angry. Frustrated.

Hadrian and Aimon
Still dressed in your cultist garb, you sneak around the building. As conspicuous as Hadrian is, no one pays you any attention anyway, figuring you to simply be cultists. Every other building in the plaza the inn resides in has been set aflame. Further south, you can still see a large force of raiders milling about near the keep's gate. Down the street to the east, you can see a group of raiders (8 uninformed) trying to bash down the door to the town hall with a makeshift ram. The door to the inn has been broken open, and again you see no one inside. But you recall that the cellar was in a back room, which you can't see from the open door. You complete your circuit around the tavern, returning to the others.

When they return to the group, Aimon lets out an obvious sigh of relief. He'd frequently held his breath on their journey around the inn.

"There are still a bunch of raiders around the keep. And some at the town hall. But the main part of the inn is empty. The door was broken in..." he trails off with a concerned look on his pale features.

"But there was a cellar. Maybe they made it down there," he suggests hopefully.

"W-well," Xari starts uncertainly.  "N-no obvious ambush, then.  Guess the four of us check the cellar while Lord Myrren and the rest say out here?  I can break the door if they're l-locked in, or Evelyn can pick it.  Should pr-probably take off these robes again so no townsfolk confuse us for r-raiders."

As the owl on his shoulder flaps up to the corner of the Inn's rooftop, the big man removes his cultist robes and casts Blade Ward on himself once more before entering the Bent Bow through the back door, greatsword, +1 grasped in one hand.

He peers around, looking and listening for both potential friends or foes, turning to Aimon with a whisper.  "W-which way's the cellar, you remember?"

"Down the back, past the bar," Aimon whispers. A shiver runs through him as he remembers the encounter earlier in the night when Lady Vareeza and her henchmen bailed him up. Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago.

If he still sees no one visible once he enters the Bent Bow, Xari leads the way based on Aimon's directions to the back, past the bar, looking for the cellar.

"If these are innocent t-townsfolk, maybe stuck in the cellar, they m-might not trust us and open up.  Th-thinking Had or Aimon sh-should do the talking.  Maybe Aimon's the one, since h-he's from here and one of them m-might know him... could try c-calling out to them."

OOC: Oh I'm dumb my bad. 

"Heard voices through the door. There's someone inside already. Raiders might be trying to get in." Hadrian says before go they back inside. He keeps his robes on for now just in case.

Xari does a double-take at Had's recollection, then nods and keeps his cultist robes on and greatsword, +1 drawn as he proceeds into the Bent Bow.

"C-could be raiders trying to get into the cellar," he whispers.  "Or t-townsfolk stuck d-down there somehow, tr-trying to get out.  L-let's be ready for both."

As you enter into the tavern, you're immediately met with the sounds of an axe-blade hammering away at wood and frustrated cursing. " -- Damned thing is more stone than wood!" Crossing into the room immediately across the hall, you find five raider (four of which wear cultist robes), gathered around a trapdoor. One raider swings repeatedly at the trapdoor with a battleaxe - small chunks of wood go flying with each hit, but it seems surprisingly resilient.

As you huddle in the doorway, briefly glances up, as if barely noticing your presence. "Did Donnic send you with the crowbar? Stop hovering and bring it here already dammit."

"Crowbar," Xari repeats conversationally, a warm feeling suffusing him, radiating outward from his core.  "Got something even better."

The presence of the raiders attempting to break into a cellar in which innocents may be hiding seems to rid the big man of his stuttering hesitation, replacing it with the laconic drawl and easy, almost reckless courage that had been evident until the end of the fight at Lord Myrren's manor.

Counting on his companions to back him up, Xari strides up (non-aggressively) to the non-robed raider who had spoken, greatsword, +1 held low in one hand, as if absent-mindedly.  "No worries, mate.  Trapdoor should be open soon enough."

(Relying on his cult robes and cooperative attitude to allay suspicion, Xari is hoping the party gains surprise despite walking right up and attacking, which he will do unless any of his companions interject to suggest something different.  He is still concentrating on Blade Ward.)

Hadrian glances briefly at the big man as he strides into the room. "Didn't think we were here for barrels of backwater tavern ale." He says nonchalantly, walking straight ahead into the room. He stops to lean his back against the wall with the tables between himself and the raiders, waiting for the inevitable fight to break out.

Aimon stays quiet and remains toward the back, well out of the reach of the invaders when they realise Xarian and Hadrian have less than cooperative intentions.