The party set their fire and not long after the plume of smoke begins to rise above the hills Archie spots the western guards leave his post.

A few minutes later one of the gates slides open with a creak and a single halfling wanders out. He whistles and picks his teeth with a knife before vanishing into the long grass.

Archie looking on to the halfling “shit, just one.... what do we do with one.”  He begins to follow at a distance keeper mg an eye on the gate as long as possible to see if anyone else comes out.

Archie rapidly loses sight of the stealthy halfling amongst the sea of grass.

“That’s not good. “Says Thurston “ that little one can spot us and reveal our position and we will lose the surprise factor. We must find him...” 

(I don’t think Thurston knows that)

He doesn't. How long is Archie waiting until he heads back to the group to report, and how exactly is the party arranged by the fire they set?

Archie will actually head out a little distance from the camp in the direction of the fire.  Keeping an eye on the dirt but also waiting to see if the halfling comes back as a last line of defense before he makes it back.  “ they should to be able to handle the runt.”

As the party wait hidden in the hills around their distraction fire, only Bründir and Dorno notice the subtle rustling of the long grass as the halfling approaches. Unfortunately, he has spotted almost all of them too, and an arrow comes flying up at Dorno!

Dorno takes 6 vigour damage -> 11/17 Vigour

Everybody roll initiative in discord.

"Hey guys, hey, look over th... OWWWWWW!!!!"  Dorno starts to whisper to anyone nearby and at least points for the benefit of the rest when he is struck by an arrow from the bandit hidden in the grass.  "That hurt!  Get him, friends!"  At that Dorno rises up a bit, holding up his wooden shield to hopefully block any more arrows.  As he has previously done, he quickly makes a circular motion with his other hand as green magical energy starts to appear and and mutters something deep in Sylvan.  Dorno thrusts the palm of that hand upwards and at that dirt, grass and most importantly vines erupt violently in the area where Dorno saw the bandit briefly and attempt to entangle their foe.

Moving more quickly than usual, Dorno reaches down for his quarterstaff on the ground and morphs into a cougar in one swift motion.  In the blink of an eye he is dashing down the hill right at the small bandit.

No sooner did Dorno jump up did a bolt sail past him in retaliation. With a grunt from the bandit, Bründir raises his head out from his hiding place, "Oi! Ne'er had much use fer one o'these, but I seem t'have a knack fer it, don' ye think? More of us 'ere than you there, so let's have some sense, yeah?"

Dorno's vines grasp at the halfling, rooting his legs to the ground as they curl around them. He tears at them with all his might fighting to pull himself free, and starts to move back towards the bandit camp as quickly as he can.

Bründir's action.

Bründir's motions have become practiced with his crossbow as he drops another bolt and draws it into place. With a twang, the next sails, but only glances the bandit's armor on the flank. "Damn! Vark, don' let'im get away!"

(Near miss with crossbow, Bardic Inspiration to Vark.)

Vark runs forward as everything springs into action around him. Spotting the little bandit, he releases a blast of icy magic, covering the halfling with frost and numbing his limbs. "That should slow him down." he says in response to Brundir.

Cougar Dorno rushes the bandit with aggression one could hardly imagine the regular Dorno mustering.  Much like the violent eruption of vines that occurs when he casts his entangle spell, the wild fury of nature seems to be unleashed when Dorno calls upon the power of Silvanus, the Oak Father, and nature itself to aid him with power beyond that of his own body.  The cougar is upon the bandit in a flash, ripping and biting at the halfling, trying to take him to the ground and bite down on him from there.

Claw attack: 11

Slashing Damage: 3

DC12 STR vs. being knocked prone for the halfling

If prone, bonus action bite:

Bite attack: 17

Piercing damage: 7

Thurston rushes after the Dorno and slams his warhammer against the halfling’s head. 

Attack: 20 Damage: 6

In case he is prone and he has advantage: 24

Vark and Dorno both slow the halfling down and then Thurston comes charging forwards, dealing a smarting blow to the bandit's temple. He cries out in pain and falls to the ground bleeding from his forehead.

"Please, don't hurt me!" He calls out, reflexively holding out a defensive hand. "What do you want?"

Dorno stays in his cougar form and stalks around his prey, the deep rumbling sounds of an agitated animal constant as he breaths and occasionally lets out an aggressive growl at the bandit.  He walks a few circles around Thurston and rubs against his leg as if he were his pet before getting within inches of of the bandit once again and letting out a long, low growl and showing his teeth.  The part of Dorno's mind that isn't taken over by animal instinct hopes to scare their captive into telling the others everything they want to know about the camp.

OOC . Providing the Help action on any Intimidation or Persuasion attempts the group would like to make here, if the DM will allow it.

Bründir approaches the wounded halfing with a new bolt nocked and drawn in his crossbow, "Now then," he says with a smile and plops down in front of the captive, "We don' wanna kill ye. What we do want, is some information about some demon worshippin' been goin' round yer camp. How many of ye are taken by it? Are ye one of'em?" His questions are punctuated by the bobbing arrowhead tracing over the halfling's torso.

(Persuassion: 14)

"I.. I.. I don' really know wha' goes on in the inner circle," the halfling stammers. "Every now an' then Korinn picks some chosen few an' takes 'em below. She has many loyal to 'er."

" 'Many loyal t'her'? Does that mean you too?" Bründir levels the crossbow to the halfling's face.

(Insight: 9)