Necromancer's Delusion-Homebrew

The rogue laughs aloud along with his paladin companion, genuinely appreciating her humor. "Well atta' girl there Yera! I reckon'd ya' had some fire in that there belly o' yers. Glad to see it brightenin' ya up a touch." Remembering his sleeping allies though, Quentin quickly makes a guilty face and glances around, hoping they didn't wake anyone. Mildly chagrined, he'll lean over to Yera and whisper, "Guessin' we should keep our voices down though, yeah?"

Perception Check: 20

(Looks like it'll be grim Gabriel and good ol' Onyx on the third watch.)

The second watch comes and goes.  You feel the coolness of the mountain air as Gabriel and Onyx rise to take their watch and are thankful for the warm bedrolls.

Onyx doesn't say much as his shift starts, thankful to have the one still at night? Eyes meant for the darkness. 

Perception: 9

Gabriel likewise spends the watch in silence, his eyes fixed on the stars and the sinking moon.

Perception: 18

As the light from the sun begins to illuminate the sky your watch comes to a close. Though you heard the sounds of different wildlife around you none seemed to pose a threat. 

Each of you awake and begins to pack your things for the coming trek. You cook a small breakfast on the remains of the fire and head off in the direction of either the eastern or western cave. Who will lead today’s journey?

(survival check with advantage using the map, also choose which cave you will search first. They are basically equidistant from your current location. 

Once again Gabriel returns to a behind-the-scenes role and lets Grunting take the lead. When his companions awake they will likely find him cooking a full breakfast of bacon and eggs beftore they hit the road and the adventure ahead. Gabriel sustains himself with three cups of dark coffee and a small plate of bacon.

Gabriel spends the remainder of the morning before his companions are sufficiently awake to travel hacking down trees with his axe, trying to establish some connection with the unwieldy and unfamiliar weapon.

Quentin wakes with a jaw-popping yawn and runs a hand through his disheveled blonde hair, sending it further into disarray. He stands and stretches languidly before sliding on his clothing and armor and packing his bedroll and belongings away on his horse's saddle, then turns and helps himself to a cup of the coffee and says, "Whoever done made this coffee is a saint, y'hear me? A right damn saint." The rogue nibbles on a small bit of dry rations from his pack, but his breakfast primarily consists of his dark coffee and a hand-rolled cigarillo. Feeling the influence of his breakfast run through his veins, Quentin appears bright eye'd and bushy tail'd and mounts up on his horse with an acrobat's ease, patting the animal fondly on the neck and looking back at his companions.

"Ready when ya'll scamps are." If presented with the dilemma of eastern or western cave first, the rogue will shrug and answer, "Welp, I reckon the sun rises n' the east an' sets in the west, so sounds like a plan fer mornin' an' evenin' to this fella. I'm like a leaf caught in a stream right now though ya'll, jus' goin with the flow. Ya'll wanna head west first, makes no nevermind t'me."

Jumping out of her bed roll at the first sign of the morning sun, Yera, still in her full plate armor, begins her morning stretches, until everyone else wakes up. Being presented with the issue of direction, Yera ponders the question of which cave to check first, "Well that Duke fellow said it was to the northeast, so why don't we go to the eastern cave?" See looks around at her party members for their input.

As the minotaur slowly woke, he would notice a small ring of mushrooms lining the dirt where he had been sleeping. After picking up one of the larger mushrooms and eating it, Mucor would stand up and let out a loud deep yawn. Having slept in his armor it wouldn't take him long to pack up his equipment. After eating his breakfast he would look around to the rest of the group. "I can try to get us the rest of the way if you want.." Looking at Grunting and taking a quick peek at the map before mounting his horse.

14 = survival

"This land is infested with the foul minions of Vaeril. Whatever direction we take, we will see combat ere long. " Gabriel says, mounting his steed.

Mucor manages to keep the party on track for the eastern cave.  As the altitude increases the terrain becomes less forgiving and the horses begin to have some difficulty along parts of the trail as you make your way up.  About mid-day you can see the outline of a cave entrance in the distance and decide it may be better to leave the horses behind and go the rest of the way on foot.  You make your approach and can see the outline of a cave entrance and a small grey puff of smoke every now an then that rises out of the entrance.  The cave entrance is about 700 feet away and from this distance you can see a few humanoid figures around the entrance. 

(Perception checks from two people- straight roll)

Cognizant of the noise her armor was making, Yera stayed at the back of the group as they advanced forward.

Quentin tries to keep as out of sight as possible, keeping crouched and low and using the surrounding foliage and growth as cover. He puts his hand above his eyes to shield from the glare and squints into the distance, focusing his cerulean gaze on the cave entrance and immediate surrounding area.

Perception Check: 14

(What would be a real world analogue of the surrounding terrain?)

(my passive perception is 20 with the observant feat)

Mucor would move towards the cave, standing behind a tree and poking his head out to see what he was up against. 18

The terrain at your altitude is rocky with some snow in areas of shade and further up hill.  The ground is partially wet from snow melting due to the summer heat.  Small shrubs, some boulders and evergreen trees stand between you and the enemy who is slightly uphill from you.  

Mucor can see that there are three orcs guarding the entrance.  They don't seem to be on alert as they are huddled by a small campfire eating meat of some sort.  

From the back, Yera whispers to all those who are close to her, "How should we approach this?"

"Violently."

Onyx responds, squinting through the sunlight. Counting down the moments until he can find a way into the cave and out of the sun. 

(At this point if you attempt to get any closer without alarming them, everyone roll stealth)