Hoard of the Dragon Queen [IC. 2014 rules]

Montar scowls at the lock. "No excuse for poor upkeep." He turns to his comrades. "Do ye still want to scout ahead, Draylin, once this is opened?"

Draylin

The monk waits at the gait for the rest to arrive.  Giving the rusty a critical look, he turns to Tam.  "I was trained to open locks such as this, but the order did not provide me with the tools to exercise those skills in the field.  Tam, I can lend you a hand if you want to open it up."

He pauses, thoughtfully, before responding to Montar.  "I think that it would be a good idea to know what we are getting into, so I will push out slightly ahead, but don't give me too much space!  If things go sideways, I want Montar and his maul at my side."

***Draylin will use the help action or have a go if Tam would rather help him.*  He has no oil either. *** 

Tam smiles and produces the key Escobert provided to them. "A good reporter always finds a way in. Or out in this case," she says with a wink. She puts the key into the lock and attempts to turn it, wondering if the rust will prevent it from working.

Tam can feel the rust of the lock make the key insertion somewhat difficult. 

Tam, give me a dex roll. 

Tam gets a 20

The key grinds against the rusted internals until Tam finds the right angle. With a sharp twist, there is a satisfying click, and the heavy iron grate creaks open. The sound is immediately swallowed by the steady gurgling of the stream running alongside you.

The air outside is thick with the smell of smoke, and the flickering orange glow of the fires reflects off the moving water just a few feet away. The burning haystacks and barns and a half moon provide dim light throughout the town.

Who goes out first?

Draylin

Draylin says, "I'll give it a quick peek."

The young monk then slips out to scout the area near the gate.  He keeps low, gliding from shadow to shadow.  He was a ghost in the night, a puff of smoke in the wind.  

***stealth: nat 20 for 26***

Almost immediately, Draylin spots a group of raiders walking towards him. There are two cultists and a few kobolds darting between them, poking through the brush along the stream, clearly searching for townsfolk that might be hiding. Nobody has noticed him (of course). The party can try sneaking past them or figure out a way to confront them.

Draylin

He slips back to the gate, keeping to the shadows and areas obscured by thick smoke.  When he reaches the team he quickly says, "A pair of cultists and a few kobalds approach.  We can hide and try to wait them out or I can pull them back here, offering quite the surprise when you all jump into the fray.  Close the gate, dump a bit of oil on the hinge, and then save my arse!  What do you think?  Decide quickly, time is short."  He looks to each in turn, waiting for opinions or alternatives to his idea.

Montar's dark eyes seem to swallow, rather than reflect, the dim light cast by Tam's torch. "Lead them back here, friend Draylin," he says almost eagerly. "The more of them we eliminate, the more villagers we protect from harm. I will fix the hinge while you are away, and be ready to strike when you are back."

Thistlewick cues up his Shillelagh on his club in preparation for what was to come.   

"I might be able to distract them a little - either with a little bit of an illusion - perhaps some sound in nearby bushes.  Or a fog cloud that might mix with the smoke from the village fires - though it may make visibility for US worse..."  he whispered as he adjusted his shield 'for action'.

Tam makes sure she's in a place where she'll be able to see enough to shoot without giving away her position with the torch.

Draylin

"From your vantage point, ill break left near the gate, maybe a child's voice from the other side?  If we split them and you guys jump out in the middle, we may thin them out before thay know what's happening."

Barring objections, Draylin sets out towards the enemy.  As he nears, he calls out softly, "Kellin, where are you?  Kellen, please answer me!"

As soon as he is spotted he looks at them wide eyed then runs back full speed to the gate, breaking right (Thistle's left) to try and get them moving away from the gate slightly.

Thistlewick casts Minor Illusion  to produce the sound of a young child crying as Draylin suggested.    He then prepares to sprint out 'down the middle' to help split forces and distract more.

INIT:  9

Thistlewick Stealth Check:  4   (Nat1 +3)      

 with advantage .. 15

The raiders see the lone, panicked figure calling out for the 'lost Kellen' and immediately begin chase and Draylin leads them right where he wants them. Soon they are within 30 feet of the group.

In the dim light, you can see the enemy consists of 2 cultists and 4 kobolds. 

Everyone roll initiative.

***Draylin INI 9***

*** Thistlewick INIT: 21 ***

**Montar Init: 14**

Tam init 19