Morgan and Randa creep into the mouth of the cave. Then the owl presses on. As it scoots the hat along, the tunnel opens wide into a cavernous room. Inside along the walls are some standard hunting gear, skinning tools, hammer and chisel, a tanning square, and various animal hide. There are bones, carved and ornately shaped arranged around the room as well. In the center of the room is a cast iron tub. Two broken lamps, smashed, lay beside an alter. Three men lay around the tub. They do not appear to be moving. 

Morgan continues to keep Randa updated. To avoid making noise, he uses the Message spell to convey information.
He orders the familiar to come out of the hat, quickly look at what Morgan assumes are corpses, and then go investigate the direction of the coughing (if it came from elsewhere).

The cough came from this room. As the owl creeps along, closer to the bodies, one stirs. Lying on his side, facing away from the owl, he curls up into a fetal position. "Postraeck, is that you?" He says weakly. "Aglaut? Olix?" After a pause, he asks with terror filling his voice. "B-bert? Ernie?"

Now that the owl is closer, coming fully into the room, it can see that the bones are humanoid and the stretched hides take on a vaguely human shape as well. "Please Ernie, no more." Morgan can't smell it himself, but the owl communicates to him through their telepathic link that this room has the heavy iron-like smell of blood. It's smothering and making it difficult to breathe for the creature. There are no lights to give color, but the tub runs with a thick liquid from splashing that does not run like water. A rubber ducky sits atop a soap dish at the edge of the tub, almost looking as though it is staring directly at the owl. 

Morgan grows paler and paler as he messages what his familiar sees to Randa. He swallows hard, brow furrowed. He doesn't quite understand: are those… prisoners?
(Investigation: 12)

He curses Dallur under his breath. "Is it possible that stupid man can't count past two? Why the hell didn't he mention these people?"

His mental voice drops lower, edged with unease. "Randa, I don't know how you imagine your old age, but I'm not planning to end up as a rug on a wall."

He glances toward the cavern entrance, suddenly feeling the air too still, too heavy. "We need to find those two... before they find us. I say we wait a bit. If nothing happens, we try to draw them out."

A ridiculous idea sparks behind his eyes. "I hope this doesn't get us killed..." he mutters.

He sends the mental command to his familiar: jump on the face of the the half-awake man — scare him, make him scream — then retreat. Look for a safe spot, a cavity or something, and stay hidden (Stealth: 19)

Jacaranda nodded to him then put a hand on his shoulder, put the other hand up to the Vestige at her throat and then vanished from sight... morgan could still feel her hand on his shoulder.

( Invisibility.)

Morgan appears to stand alone near the mouth of the cave, though he is unaware. He can feel the reassuring squeeze of Randa's hand on his shoulder. (unless it's not Randa's hand. SPOOKY!)

The owl does as instructed. It jumps over the man turned away and lands on his face. It's rough, clawed feet making the human recoil in shock. As the owl sees his face, Morgan recognizes this as one of the fleeing bandits that had escaped Entropy's sword. However, the man has changed some since last Morgan saw him. This man's eyes have been removed and hollow sockets gape at the owl. He tries to scoot away from the thing that jumped on him, but is hampered by his disembowelment. 

"St-stay back! Whatever you are, please stay back." He says while cradling his cut on his abdomen with one arm and dragging himself away with the other, leaving a trail of blood after him.

The other two bodies around the tub do not move. 

Randa frowned invisibly......Bert and Ernie had just been added to one of her lists.....

She sighted down the tunnel watching for anything coming to investigate.

DM: Perception Check, please, Randa. 

18

lets try that again to see if it displays.

18

DM: I'll take it, but I would prefer you don't edit dice roll posts. 

Randa's head is on a swivel. 

"Please... please help me..." the man begins to sob weakly. 

Trying to avoid compromising Randa's stealth and invisibility, Morgan stays by the cavern entrance, tense.
He gives his familiar one last instruction before pulling his awareness back to his own eyes.

"If you see anything worrying," he instructs telepathically, voice barely a thread of sound, "I mean… more than it’s already worrying… call me immediately."

Then he blinks, green eyes refocusing on the bright cave mouth. One hand rests lightly on his deck of worn tarot cards, ready for whatever comes next.

Morgan and Randa stand at the mouth of the cave, waiting for whatever may come. 

***

DM: Smokey screen transition. 

The road is oddly quiet now, aside from Ylis filling the air with her stories. Rumble tugs the wagon along dutifully, but slowly, for he understands that they are light a few people. Ayo for once, is not driving her wagon. She hands that off to Irvan while she dotes over Dermot in the back. Maggie is deep in thought and Galsariad is reviewing his spellbook, trying to identify where his weakness was during the battle. Entropy looks ecstatic. She lounges against the wagon walls as though she had just gotten the best massage of her life. 

DM: Sacha, Ylis, please describe your thoughts/feelings and what you are doing as the wheels grind against the road.

Ylis growls under her breath and stomps her feet when she thinks nobody is looking but clearly notices that Rumble clearly notices. She tries to put on an 'air of don't care' but isn't entirely successful. Being the perpetual teen she wants to pace and vent about how some people have lost their gods damn minds and want to look for loot when we got loot already and almost died in the process and how they just want to abandon their friends like nothing and how they could get killed AGAIN and how Sacha feels bad about losing control and hurting that guy and how much longer is it going to take for them to get back and...how worried she actually is...and how they are right that they shouldn't leave enemies at the back door...but STILL!

Randa waited a few seconds more, then sighed, and whispered,  " Can you heal him quietly?  Death I deal without remorse....suffering I have seen too much of."

" I can see, I will go a little further in."

Randa will move further down the tunnel until she comes across something.

( I assume keep the same Perception check. Investigation-  19   if needed.)

Sacha listens to Ylis tell her jokes and stories and smiles and laughs and asks "What happened next?" Stories are good. They help when nothing else can.  

During the short rest, Sacha meditates. For Sacha, meditation isn't shutting out everything else. It's not quiet. Or alone. Meditation is connection. It's bonding with the World Tree and feeling everything. Every fallen tree, every burning forest, every crushed blade of grass. Everything green and everything that interacts with the green. The whole world is connected through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. 

Through the World Tree, Sacha feels the weight of the world. She already has her own pain, her own losses and worries. Her murdered family, her comatose friends, and dying tribe. Having to care about the rest of the world, to carry everyone else's pain, to protect everyone. It's too much. She lost it. And, selfishly, left her friends to danger. She needs to get it together. Next time she'll be stronger. 

When Sacha realizes that Ylis is having a hard time, she looks over to her. 

"They'll be okay. They're smart and strong," Sacha consoles, "You don't have to worry. Don't carry someone else's pain."

'Let me do it instead,' is implied but unsaid. 

"Have I told you about the elven bards that seek to undo the world?" Sacha asks.

Dermot’s ears perk up when Sacha mentions the elven bards. He appears interested in the story and leans closer to the wagon walls to hear it.

Just then a man appears off the road, 30 ft out into the open fields of the Wastes. He was not there before. He is long and thin, unnaturally so, with arms like wires and a head that is stretched and narrow. His skin is a sickly yellow. Ayo is just about to call attention to the man when a bundle of curious red sticks lands in their wagon with a thunk. It sizzles as Maggie picks it up.

“What a peculiar little object we have here! Its surface is strangely textured, almost as if it has been worn smooth by countless hands. I find myself curious about its design—specifically, the mysterious string that appears to be carefully inserted to one side of each of these individual rods. What purpose does it serve? Is it meant for carrying, securing, or perhaps even activating the device? If the former two, why does it burn? I wonder if anyone can shed some light on the function and significance of this intriguing contraption.”

Galsariad finally turns away from his text, the description having set off some subconcious alarm. “What?” His eyes widen in shock. “Drop it! Go! NOW!”

Maggie does so and everyone scatters, the sleeping Entropy only just rousing as everyone begins to leap from the wagon.

None make it out in time.

BOOM!

Most are thrown from the wagon by the force of the explosion, with the exception of Entropy who did not even have time to get up. Hee and Haw immediately take off at a dead run as Ayo, Irvan, Galsariad, Dermot, and Maggie all are blown 10ft away in different directions, where their bodies land limply. Entropy, presumably, is still in the wagon. Hopefully still whole.

Maggie begins to rise, rage burning in her eyes. Her fists are like iron mallets as she stands and looks for something to bludgeon even as her back singes with heat. Blood bursts from her neck. A round shadow of a man blinks into existence before her, landing silently on light feet before lashing out again with daggers. As Maggie reaches up to grab the wound at her neck, the dagger slices under her arm, where she has no protection from her armor. She recoils and stumbles back as the rotund man, with eerily small eyes and orange skin, quickly circles around her and slices at the back of her leg. She drops to one knee, gurgles, and drops.

“Hey Bert," the orange one says. “You were right. The ones who didn’t want to come would have the softer meat.”

“Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh.” Bert chuckles in response.

“Rubber Ducky says the others are at home. After we finish here, we should go back and introduce ourselves. Give them a tour of our room. I’ll need a bath after this, after all.”

“Ernie. Don’t be rude. We have friends right here to play with,” Bert says.

“You’re right, Bert. Sorry.”

“I want their ears,” Bert says, never once having blinked with his dead eyes.

“Hey Bert, let’s have a drink.”

The two pop the tops off of a vial taken from their belts and drink it. They immediately vanish.

DM: Sacha, Ylis, you have gained a short rest. You may post your thoughts and feelings as the shock of the blast rocked you. Also, Roll Initiative.

Initiative: 11

Sacha, dazed and angry, immediately leaps to her feet. 

“What in the world?” She asks, seeing a glimpse of the strange men and explosion. What kind of magic is this?

Their names sound familiar. Didn’t Dallur mention that a Bert and Ernie were left to watch the bandits’ treasure? 

Nevermind that, it’s time to fight. 

Seeing her companions are in peril, she gets ready.

Sacha keeps her weapons and armor near her at all times, just in case. She grabs her spear and shield and runs towards Maggie.

“Get back and tend to any wounded!” She yells at the healers, “I’ve got this!”

Ylis Initiative 15

"You don't scare us, we are the fearless!  You want to blow stuff?! Blow this! *Fart Noise*"

Sacha, Rumble, and Ylis gain 8 Thp

Ylis follows Sacha's lead, white light flowing from her hand into her spear (casting Shillelagh) feet thumping along beside her Barbarian friend. Killing something will definitely lighten her mood.