(I think we're goin to wherever we believe Shadrach is - the Yawning Portal, I guess?)

As the party walks, Sen speaks in a low, quick voice, loud enough for the others to hear.

Okay, so what are we going to tell Shadrach, and what do we actually want from him?  I'm curious to know who his real employer is, and what he's not telling us, but I don't think that's the priority.  I feel the information we want about his employer is not going to come from Shadrach, it's going to come from Anna.

I don't know a huge amount about the undermountain, but it sounds deadly, too deadly for us.  So we want equipment or coin to buy equipment, enough to get us where we need to go.  I don't know what that is.  He looks at Aria.  What is enough to survive in the undermountain?

Or we get help; maybe Shadrach himself, maybe someone else, to come with us.  Problem is, that makes us look at bit redundant.  What's our value to him, if we're not able to get to where Anna is?  Nothing.  He might just cut us out completely.  And I agree with Usul, we don't tell him exactly where Anna is, or where we think she is.  Otherwise, again, that's the end of our usefulness to him.  

We need a plan, we need a single spokesperson.  We want to reassure him that we're competent, professional, a good investment of time and money.  We need to go in knowing exactly what we want, and tell him the right things to get it. 

So for starters, we don't tell him where we think Anna is.  What do we tell him?  That she's in undermountain, but we don't know where?  That we have a lead, but not an exact location?   Maybe we have a contact who says she can lead us to Anna, but we need to pay her.   That might work...

Quote from Draconiclast >>

(So just to make sure I understand, the party is going straight to the Yawning Portal with the intention of finding and confronting Shadrach / going into the Undermountain in search of the Tooth and Anna?)

 OOC: That was Crush's intention... along with perhaps a long rest and shopping montage before heading down into the undermountain. Crush isn't really a leader or anything so if anyone has a different course of action I am all for it lol. I am just taking the super direct approach with Crush once again :D

"Bought from Old Witch lady" Crush would say as a set of smoke trails wisp away from his nostrils. "Bought this too..." The ork would mention as he taps his hand on the bone dagger on his belt. "She want Crush body..." Crush would say with a small shudder as he continues to walk..

"I'm not the best with people... I think Veryes should talk. She seems to understand how to talk to others..." Usul replies to Sen while they walk, adding "Honestly... I wouldn't mind just telling him that we have a good idea where she is, and that we aren't gonna tell him. But again... I'm not the best with handling people, so perhaps that's not the best idea."

To Crush he adds, grinning "If you wanna let her see you again let me know and I'll pick one up too. Then you can teach me how to play with the smoke."

Veryes listens to all the plans and nods along "I agree. I don't think we should tell Shad too much. I don't know that we'd have to talk with him at all unless we'd like to negotiate more coin. I'm happy to try and negotiate that"

So, says Sen in summary, Veryes does the talking; the rest of us stand around looking silently professional.  Our story is that Anna is in the undermountain, we don't know where but will go to investigate, we need money for equipment to make the journey.  Is that it?  How much are we asking for, Aria?  The amount we propose is important - ask for too much or too little and we look like amateurs, right?

Do we want to try to rattle him?  Suggest there's a time pressure?  Push him to agree immediately, rather than take time to think it over and maybe find someone else to do the job?

Do we want him to come with us?  I don't think so.  He's tough, or at least he looks tough, but can we trust him?  To get us out as well as in?

"A lot." Aria sighs. "We're going to need a lot of preparation, a lot of time.. maybe a lot of coin."  She looks around at the entire party "Maybe we just need a little more confidence in ourselves. The Undermountain can be overwhelming and we have to be on our toes as a team. We have to be at our best. I'm not sure what you all are capable of... but if you feel like there's something missing for you to be at your best for what's down there... that's what you ask for or you get. We need to get to Anna as quickly as possible"

The party begins to approach the Yawning Portal, Crush taking the lead with Veryes on his back. Suddenly, all of you hear a scream - coming from the tavern ahead! Someone yells "KOBOLDS!" just before a kobold hops into one of the windows of the Yawning Portal. A moment later, an arrow bursts through its chest and it falls out of the window to the street below, dead.

Roll initiative!

INITIATIVE: 7

Usul initiative: 14

Crush initiative 18

Sen's initiative:  8

Rolling for Veryes just to get things going -- unless that roll is happening while I'm writing this, in which case disregard whatever I'm about to roll:
Veryes Initiative: 13

Order:

Crush
Kobolds
???
Usul
Veryes
Aria
Sen

Crush is up!

Crush will draw his weapons and snarl as he takes off running into the tavern (up to 60 ft) His heavy boots and armor thumping and rattling loudly as he draws his axes and bursts into the tavern. Once inside the tavern, Crush would take a moment to identify any threats before charging the closest enemy and swinging hard with his hand axes.

Attack: 18 Damage: 41
Attack: 17 Damage: 36

(So I would use my action to attack and my bonus action to attack with my other axe IF i can get to the enemies within 30ft of movement.. otherwise I will use my bonus action to move another 30ft to get closer to the enemy... so I would only use the first attack)

 (Whoops@!! Those damage rolls are supposed to be 1d6+3... not 1d63... here are two new damage rolls lol! 6   6

 (Whoops@!! Those damage rolls are supposed to be 1d6+3... not 1d63... here are two new damage rolls lol! 5   5

 

 (( I was seriously about to question my choice of playing a ranger lol ))

Crush sets Veryes down and storms into The Yawning Portal. Kobolds are streaming out of the titular portal, attacking the patrons in the bar -- including Shadrach. 

Crush swings his axes at the first three kobolds he can, sending one flying on the initial swing and killing it instantly, and then burying his axes in two others, also killing them. Two more kobolds converge on him and attack (they get advantage because of Pack Tactics): 

Attack 1: Attack: 24 Damage: 6
Attack 2: Attack: 18 Damage: 5

Across the room, Shadrach swings his greatsword at two kobolds:

Attack 1:Attack: 25 Damage: 10
Attack 2: Attack: 20 Damage: 9

Crush takes 4 damage. Shadrach slices two of the kobolds in half.

Usul is up. 

Usul runs up to the door of the Portal, and will attempt to hide 22 behind the door quickly before looking in ((looking in, what does the scene look like inside? About how many kobolds... etc? perception 13)). Spotting a kobold near his large green ((is Crush green?)) friend, he then quickly whispers to the mouse in his pocket "We've gotta help him!" and pulls out his crossbow to take a shot at one of the kobolds near Crush, before again ducking behind the door to start reloading his crossbow.

Attack: 18 Damage: 15 ((advantage for being hidden))

For lack of a better description, it looks like a full scale barfight. There are kobolds everywhere - some attacking patrons of the tavern, others grabbing food off people's plates, coins from their purses. It is pandemonium. I think Usul would think it was some kind of raid. It's hard to tell how many kobolds are there while also taking aim at one of the attackers on Crush; his crossbow bolt is true and it strikes down one of the attackers.

Veryes is up.

Ping @BTI_Brian

Going for Veryes just for the sake of moving things along.

Veryes rushes into the tavern, eyeing the seen and seeing Crush in trouble shouts some words of encouragement to him to give him bardic inspiration.

She then attacks the kobold nearest to her with her rapier, Attack: 9 Damage: 7

Aria is up.

Aria pulls  out BULLSEYE and aims at the other kobold that was attacking Crush... letting an arrow loose...

Attack: 14 Damage: 7