Dealuri's own attempts at stealth (13) while descending the staris were not exemplary but she continues to try. "Oh no, the short fluffy guy just went exploring alone!" she says quietly but with emotion. "We should be ready to help him. How do we raise this portcullis?" If she saw the pully, Dealuri did not grasp its purpose. 

Well... We could go in after him with the possibility he can't make it back safely or we could wait for now. There is a portcullis on that side we are hidden from that side, why not take a rest?
If the party agrees he will indeed take a rest being stealthy just in case. We should arrange a watch for danger and skritch. 

Skritch you slip through the bars of the portcullis easy enough and proceed through the passage toward the larger cavern.  

Peering in you see its stone walls thick with moss and grime. Cracks split the flagstones underfoot, and the sour stink of rot and damp fur hangs heavy in the air. Shadows gather thick in the corners, and the air is unnaturally still.

Then you see it. A subtle shifting in the gloom. The glint of amber eyes low to the ground. The faint scrape of claws being drawn across stone. You catch the outline of something large and terrible, crouched amidst the wreckage of old bones and shattered skulls. Its mane is like a lion’s, wild and matted, but spiked with bristles and streaked with blood. Its body is powerful and feline, the muscles tensed beneath patchy hide. From its back arches a thick, segmented tail, tipped with barbs slick with venom, swaying slowly like a serpent sizing up a mouse... or a squirrel.

Then a low growl unfurls in the dark—long, guttural, and intelligent. It knows you're here. And it has not fed in some time. It lunges toward you claws outstretched Attack: 18 Damage: 6

"Yaarrghk!" (AC 15 so it misses)

Skritch Wildshapes into a Panther (move 50', Nimble Escape so it can disengage without opp attacks) and runs back to the portcullis. 

The whole way back he is mindyelling at Vakas and Co, "Shut the gate! Keep the gate closed! Run! Here I come!" 

At the last moment, presuming Skritch makes it back to the gate, he remembers he's a big cat and sends, "Don't shoot the Panther. The Panther is me!" 

Then he morphs back into his little self and sprints through the grill, leaps onto Sunhill and gallops up the stairs far enough to be out of range of that thing's claws, arms, venom tail and fangs. 

Skritch you make your escape, narrowly missing the creatures claws.

The rest of you watch Skritch return and retreat back up the stairs as you also see the manticore emerge from the dark cavern beyond the portcullis. It roars in frustration as Skritch escapes its reach, it's huge body unable to enter the passage in which you all stand.

Rachus is about to tell the others what he found but then sees a Scritch coming for the portcullis. He quickly takes a few steps back up the stairs "Jeez that is one big manticore. I am not sure what is beyond it, but I am not sure it's worth finding out." 

Skritch hugs Sunhill's neck sooo hard. "Did you miss me? Who missed me? You? Ooh, I missed you..." he sends. 

"Rachus, there was some sort of way beyond the spiny beast, but yes, right now I don't think we're in a position to, er, take it."

Then, telepathing to everyone, "Shall we go back and check out the first two turns off the corridor? I think, at least for myself and our mage, finding a safe space where we can recover our casting powers will make us more useful to the group..."

"Follow the squirrel! Up the stairs! Oh, what would my hunting friends think of me now." Dealuri shares the general belief that the party is not at full strength so the manticore can wait for a later and better time. 

Gathered further up the stairs, out of sight of the winged monstrosity, Skritch asks, "Do we think we can rest here in this stairwell? The beast was hungry. Neglected. If they don't routinely feed it, it could well be more than an 8-hour before they next try to come down here. This may be as good a bolt-hole as any. Then, we could perhaps go back south, and check out the two side tunnels. I, er, I suggest starting with the west one, seeing where that goes and then take things from there..." 

That mind-speech was exhausting for Skritch. It's hard enough for him to think that many coherent thoughts in a row, let alone think them at others!

He looks up at them all, from one party member to the next. He loves a consensus. Almost as much as he loves not being a snack for a ravening manticore. 

Well I'd say we should take a rest here, that manticore seems locked pretty good, then we should go off one of those entrance side passages

OOC: Seems like the consensus is to rest at the top of the stairs? Long rest or short rest? Either way tell me what measures you put in place to prevent your discovery, then on a short rest Skritch roll 1d20 and on a long rest everyone roll 1d20.

"I believe a short rest will do us good though I am not sure a lengthier rest is needed but I would be fine if that is what everyone be wanting. As for defenses I am not sure maybe a trip wire if anyone has a thin piece of cordage" says Rachus. 

Skritch is pretty sure that he and Thanadol are out of everything but cantrips. Hence the need for a long rest. 

He asks, "Rachus, can you write Goblin? I'm thinking we write a sign, put it on the outside of the door that says, 'Portcullis temporarily out of order - manticore loose -do not enter', then wedge the door and see, er, how we fare from there." 

D20 for the DM: 4

I have one spell slot left, I have been careful with them.
Thanadol suggest that they remove the bodies. He goes over and starts ritual casting Alarm to notify them of approaching enemies, then Thanadol will take a rest unless someone objects very strongly.

"Your assuming the kobolds can read goblin. I think leaving door closed with Thanadol's spell will do just fine" says Rachus.

"I was assuming that. Or, er, I forgot for a second that we were fighting kobolds, not goblins. But let's say it was the first thing." 

Skritch snuggles up for warmth with Sunhill. You gets your rest whens and wheres you can. 

(With a 4) The first hour passes without incident giving you all a short rest. Those of you on watch then hear footsteps approaching outside, coming from deeper within the tunnel. Thanadol your alarm spell is triggered as the footsteps grow nearer. They pause for a moment outside speaking in the low gravelled tones of the kobold language that you are all now beginning to recognise. You hear a clang and a scrape as one of the kobolds disturbs the bucket and cleaning implements outside the door.

OOC: What do you do? If you continue to rest then I will need d20 rolls from all of you :)

Thanadol will start with a short rest (if he can judge the situation after and extend to a long rest). He has set his spell to wake the whole party if there are intruders in the hallway outside the door.

OOC: Not sure how prepping to be attacked affects an attempt at a long rest. If it messes it up then my first wish would be to wait and see if they move on, and take our lumps if we get into combat. 

But if readying for a possible encounter doesn't automatically undo an attempted long rest, then Skritch will 'fire up' his Shillelagh, soothe Sunhill and get ready to ambush these cage cleaners once they're inside. 

He sends to the rest of the company, "Well, either rest time is over for now. Or it ain't. Either way, it's, er, nut-tappin' time!"  (Skritch is trying on bravdo for size, just to see if it goes with his eyes...) 

It's rest time Skritch, we have some recovering to do here.