Deborah sat down and relaxed now that there seemed little need to rescue anyone.

She nodded her head to the others as they introduced themselves.  A very mixed group for someone who'd spent most of their life only among other dwarves.

She pointed to the charred corpse, " Well, disruption acheived. Numbers in the mine?"

Elery was retracting herself, seeing the burning body unconfortably, just before the second group arrived. The Firbolg's hand on her back throws her off-balance, and she just barely avoids falling, first because of the difference in strengh from the young human and the tall Firbolg, and secondly because she wasn't expecting anything like it. Along with that, she yeeps and then turns around to meet One face-to-face, and the distraught look on her face seems to fade a bit. "Oh, hi! Sorry..."

She spends the next few seconds waiting and hearing the others before making her own comment. "... I'm Elery Hydramight, nice to meet all of you... Although, I'm still not fully sure who you are, if you say you are here to help, I'll trust you...... I still don't know your name, though..." She points to Deborah who didn't seem focused in presentations like the rest of the group.

Deborah frowned, " As I said earlier, my name is Deborah and if someone needs killing here I'm happy to help. Are there still hostiles in the mine itself?"

"Oh, you did? I'm sorry, I think I was, too focused, huh... Looking at what I've done..." She seems to be reminded of seconds ago, and the dead body of the guard lying in the front of the mine's entrance, as her voice lowers and her head also turns to face the floor. That lasts just a few seconds.

She then looks up and at Deborah again, before she responds. "I'm not really looking for more killing, please. But there are probably still a bunch of people in the mines, we have just opened our way to get in after all."

Deborah smiled, her face softening a little, " In truth I would rather be putting the dead to rest than adding to their number but these men have chosen their master and I am more at home in a mine than they.  Perhaps they will surrender?  We are a fearsome looking bunch."

Lazarus: (to the party) "I must agree with Elery, our goal is to disrupt the mining operations, not kill all of Blackwoods men. Our stealth approach wasn't as stealthy as planned which became the resulting fight. Self defense is one thing, but we shouldn't be looking to kill our enemies."

" Very well, with we three added do we outnumber those below? Are they likely to surrender? I do not know this Blackwood."

Emrys looks at Elery and Lazurus, "Silva didna give o lot a details.  What's coming outa this mine?  I'm thinking, youselves aren't want'n to set the timber's aflame and bring it down with people in it.  Then again, if someone cast a glamour of flame and we all started a yell'n, that would bring 'em out and we could really set the thing alight."

Lazarus: (to the party) "They found some mysterious vault. we do not have much more details than that. a fire could work, but we got to plan it well enough that no innocents die in the fire."

“Well we don’t really know what’s down there do we?  We might have to go down first to see for ourselves what the best plan is.  It’s just a mystery up here.”  One says as he begins the slow process of squatting down and sitting.

Okay, so you don't have much to go off of when it comes to the mines. And even less for the Vault. Disruption of the mining operation was the goal. And "mining operation" as in pulling artifacts and and items from the Vault.

Is approaching the mine stealthily still the plan?

Emrys looks pointedly at the bodies, "Only a matter o time afore they are missed or someone comes a looking.  Unless one of yourselves be able to bring them back from the dead."   As he speaks he walks up to the last body and nudges it with his foot.  "We can make it seem as if they slept on watch, but I'm afraid that won't last very long.  We could put 'em in the wagon and set it to smoldering.  Make it look like they fell asleep and died in the fire."  Emrys pauses for a moment, "What's in the wagon?  Ya didna check it for secrets, while you wer under it, did ye?"

OCC:  From Monday to Thurs, I will be on vacation with limited access.  I should be able to check in once a day.

"I agrre with you... they will be missed but that was one of the points of this operration. To thin theirr numberrs. " the tabaxi says to Emris. " I can help you with the bodies. Trruth is the most time we get unnoticed the betterr..." 

The wagon just has rock and mined metal.

So, I'm going to jump ahead in the interest of not getting bogged down:

You find a way into and through the mines. Whether through stealth or distraction, you find a way to circumvent the guards outside.

The carved stone tunnels show the signs of years of digging. Silence fills the long corridors. Every ten feet wooden arches span the tunnel and hold it up against cave-in. A burning lantern hangs from each arch, illuminating the passageway. Cart tracks line every tunnel.

The mines branch into a maze of hubs and corridors. Several passages end in dead-ends filled with abandoned tools. There doesn't seem to be anyone guarding or patrolling.

After some time, you find a tunnel that ends in a cliff down to an open chamber. Ahead, you see a wooden track for mine-carts leading down to the cave floor. To your left, a rickety set of wooden stairs winds down to the ground.

Across the cave you can see flickering lanterns and open torches. They illuminate the face of a massive structure. An ornate doorway with torches on either side. The Vault door. In front of it, four Blackwood militia sit on crates and play dice.

Vault door.

Several crates, empty tents, and tables line the cave floor between the Vault and where the mine-cart track meets the floor.

A drow woman in leather armor wrapped in a black cloak strides out of the Vault doorway. Even at this distance, her voice carries in echo to you. "Look sharp! They'll be back in a minute! Get ready, idiots!" She draws her longsword and faces the Vault door, waiting.

The militia follow suit. They draw their own swords and pick up their sheilds.

What do you do while they're waiting facing the Vault doorway.

(did we see alot of innocent miners or was it mostly blackwood's militia?)

Emrys takes a defendable position with as much cover as possible in the front of the party, waving at the others to find cover.

"Blood and bloody ashes, a Drow," he hisses sharply, "And who be they awaiting?  I'm for think'n one side or t'other will be needing aid, but which?  Let's wait and find out!"

OCC:  All.. I will be on vacation with my laptop from Monday to Thursday, so posts me be a bit lacking in RP.  To those in America and Canada, have a wonderful holiday

You didn't see ANY miners. Everyone you have seen inside and out are militia. It's also clear with the tents and tables that the Vault cavern normally during the day would be bustling with activity.

Lazarus: (to the party) "I didn't see any innocents, so how do we plan on setting the fire?"

Deborah considered the Vault door for a moment regarding its structure and purpose.

Stonecunning: 10

" If its a true vault the only thing within can be the dead, a construct or a fiend or other outsider.....if it connects to a larger complex beneath it could be anyone, even my people...though I haven't heard tell of any delves in this region.", a wicked smile came across her face as she considered the dead may be within.

" Aye, let us see what emerges then decide from there....I've no love for the drow but one working with humans is possibly not your average drow....."