Quote from Charwoman_Gene >>

[[ Can anyone tell m,e if this link works?  https://www.dndbeyond.com/games/6491519  ]]

It works for me and prompts this message center screen: Your DM is not currently hosting a game session.

[[ Okay so that doesn't work, sticking with foundry. ]]

A cold breeze kicks up, flowing out from the tunnel, bearing strong hints of the ghast stench floating up from the dark.

Arista lifts her shield hand to cover her nose, eyes narrowing at the fetid draft from the arch. She plants her staff, studies the stones a heartbeat, then scratches a quick symbol on a nearby trunk and sketches the layout into her field notes. “That stench screams ghasts,” she says, voice low. “Too deep, too many unknowns. We mark it, back out, and report to the lord—no glory in feeding a nest today.” She checks her straps, takes two steps back from the tunnel mouth, and motions a quiet withdrawal, hoping that the others will agree.

Kaelen takes out his book and also notes down the location carefully before moving to join Arista. "I am at home in the dark, but it may be a hindrance to the rest of you, not to mention the cramped conditions." He looks to those who haven't given their opinions yet. "What do you think?"

"We know how many were in that group. We do not know if that is the full quantity of ghouls present here. Worst case scenario, this whole village's dead could be ghouls, and explains why there is no living anymore. We have two options. Camp near here and cut down the small group when they return or other groups when they leave, but risk being overwhelmed. Or marking and leaving like Arista says. I vote for leaving."

You hear a loud screechy whimper from the tunnel, then silence.

Kaelen turns toward the cave in slight surprise, trying to discern whether the whimper sounds like a living person. If it does, he will instinctively head inside, hoping to save them if possible.

Perception?: 18

Should Kaelen head inside, Arista will follow her with an audible sigh. 

It sounds like an animal, almost birdlike, with some mammalian features, and very clearly cut off, as if whatever made it has now been killed.

[[A nature check DC 15 will tell exactly what it was if curious.]]

Kaelen nature: 14 -.-

[[Close enough... Spoiler for harm befalling something that could be considered cute.]]

Kaelen sighs, turning away from the lair. "A baby owlbear's death cry. How the undead managed to bring it here is a mystery...but we should be on our way in case the mother comes for revenge."

"I don't believe a mother will be on her way. The fact we came across two adult corpses with some children already makes me think this is where they got the baby. The real question is, why bring the baby back when they killed the rest in one go?" 

Mathias's face pales. "Do you think it possible that ghoul fever possess an owlbear? If so, that is not the sort of thing I would want to face without significant preparation."

Arista presses her lips thin, then angles her shield toward the tunnel and speaks in a low, practical murmur: "Perhaps, the ghouls hauled the hatchling back for a 'right-sized' meal; either way, it’s too late to save it," and she thinks they should pull out without explicitly saying it again.

She turns to Mathias, eyebrows knit, and asks, "Do you mean we ought to prevent any spread?" After a beat’s thought, she proposes, "Let's burn them and bury the remains—owlbear and otherwise—before leaving, just to be sure."

[[I just want to point out that ghoul fever is neither commonly believed to exist in my world, or a canon thing in 5e. With a +5 nature, Mathias would know that animals and similar creatures never rise as ghouls.  Anyone wishing to recall how you remember where ghouls come from can roll religion or arcana. Which skill you roll will likely have different info.]] 

[[Arcana 13 for Arista, does she believe that burning them would help against raising them? Let's decide if we enter or not. As a player I would enter, but Arista would play safe when possible. That said, she would certainly follow others if only to make sure they make it out alive.]]

Generally, Arista would have heard that ghouls are usually then result of curses, sometimes spontaneously arising from the corpses of those who died after committing unnecessary cannibalism. As far as you know a ghoul killed conventionally stays dead. No concept of contagion.

Asariel doesn't know anything about where ghouls come from. (5 religion. Same modifier for each so picked the opposite to Arista) Asariel would not want to enter the cave without a greater knowledge of what awaits us.

Kaelen searches his memory for any information on the nature of ghouls he might have heard from his family while he was growing up, particularly the most effective ways of killing them.

Arcana: 16