“Greetings Overseer Varnaster. May I ask what happened to the original miners? Also, do you have mining experience?” (Insight: 23)

Chip would stand near one of the female wererats and give them a quick toothy grin. "Hey... How you doin?...." he would say as smoothly as possible. "you...uhh... come here often?"

Persuasion! 15

Krom will quickly examine the passages and rooms while following Raskin.  Perception 6 plus Guidance 2 

As Chip is flirting with that female wererat, Krom will give a quick look around checking for signs of struggle. Perception 11 plus Guidance 1 . He will do his check just by looking around, he will stay next to Karzi ready to cast a spell if necessary.

"That didn't sound ominous at ALL." Rhogar said with a chuckle after Varnaster first spoke up. Despite having said as much, the his easygoing demeanor fails to change. But mindful of Kazri's efforts, he listens intently, but stays nothing more on the matter. Though seeing Chip flirting off to the side, the Dragonborn shook his head and muttered in mild distaste, "Westerners. Ehk.. Give me a triton any day."

As you watch the wererats you notice a few things.   While their regular demeanor is shifty they seem on edge.   You're pretty convinced they are not being truthful. 

You also see that their hands are not dirty,  nor really their clothes.   You would think those working a mine would be dirtier.  

But you see no signs of a struggle in this room. 

“Overseer Varnaster, to tell you the truth. The ownership of this mine is none of our business.” She cocks her head at Raskin. “That’s his. However, I am concerned about the original miners. Is there still any of them left? If there are, we would like to send them to town.” (Can Kazri still use her previous Insight check?)

Rekuberk keeps his hands tightly wrapped around his weapon as he stay quiet and in the background. With little else to say he gladly plays the part of the hired muscle, even if his weapons would be next to useless against the wererats.

(ooc did the wererat talk to Chip? I am hoping to get some more information from her of possible...)

Chip attempts to make sweet talk with one of the wererat females.

"Perhaps you would like to become one of us,  that might prove interesting." she says lightly snapping her teeth at Chip in a playful manner. 

Quote from Wolfy911 >>

“Overseer Varnaster, to tell you the truth. The ownership of this mine is none of our business.” She cocks her head at Raskin. “That’s his. However, I am concerned about the original miners. Is there still any of them left? If there are, we would like to send them to town.” (Can Kazri still use her previous Insight check?)

"We have only been here a short time.   We found this mine abandoned.  Orcs drove us out of our previous home.  We had been living in an old shrine near Conyberry and we would certainly return there if you would get rid of the orcs at that shrine and allow us to return."

The wererats still look shifty and you notice when you asked about the previous miners that the two female rats share a quick look though you can't tell what the look meant.

"Would that mean I would get to spend move time with you?" Chip would say with a grin as he moves just a bit closer to the wererat. "My name is Chip. I am a pretty famous bard.. been playing in town recently and my friends and I even have a big place in town." He would say with a smile. "What is your name? I am surprised that word of your beauty had not spread into town. "perhaps you could come into town with me once business is done... I could even give you a private concert of you would like...."  Chip would whisper into her ear, close enough for the hot air from his nostrils to tickle her ear. "He would then take a couple steps back and throw his hands into the air ..."but... I am afraid we wont be in town until We get some of this business taken care of.... If you could let us know what happened here.. and how we can help everyone to get along.. well then we can get this business done... and once the business is done.. then comes pleasure.." The dragonborn would say with a wink as he allows a small putlff of smoke to leave his nostrils.

persuasion 10

"I'm not sure to understand well the situation, you just called yourself the overseer of this mine, yet it seems to me that your staff has yet to do any mining. Anyway just as our lass said we are concerned about the previous miners. Miners do not vanish like this, unless someone ate them or killed them and even if they were attacked usually miners are tough folks they will fight back for sure. Are you sure you do not know anything about them?" says Krom to the overseer.

(OCC how many wererats did we encounter? There are only 3 in this room right?)

Chip will pull out his flute and play a quick few notes while not only trying to impress the rat woman but also grant bardic inspiration to someone of they need it...

While doing his best to tune out Chip's advances, Rhogar says,"To be fair, Master Krom, they did say they recently arrived. So we can't expect them to be wearing the work already. But the rest got curious about this whole Orc nonsense. Because you see, according to my catty friend here you lot are rather resilient. Hard to see how any could manage to chase you from anywhere. They have some sort of shaman with them or somthin?"

Varnaster looks around at the group. 

"We are not many, the orcs took us by surprise.   I don't know their numbers but they were fierce and they chased us away.  We found this mine abandoned and moved in.   We have to make a living also so we are trying to settle in here,  figure out the whole mining thing.   If Raskin is a representative of the mine we are happy to negotiate with him and perhaps he can help us restart production.  You folks can go on your way."

Meanwhile the rat Chip.is flirting with winks at him as he steps away from her.

"Maybe, just maybe..."  she says as she moves away from him to go stand with Varnaster.

In the room are the 2 female wererats that met you at the entrance, a male wererat that stands near Varnaster and has not spoken and Varnaster herself.   4 total.

Rekuberk seems to lose some concentration but instead looks over to Chip when he sees her trying to hit on the wererat female. If they were going to be doing that he will lower his weapon and straighten up his clothes to look as presentable as he can. "If that is agreeable with him then I see no reason why we should interfere. But we should look for the lost miners since it is possible that they were either forced to flee or in less hopeful circumstances they killed."

"Raskin, what is your opinion on this situation? I agree with Rekuberk, we should look for those lost miners at least to find out what happened to them, still we should not forget our other priority." says Krom.

“Overseer Varnaster, would you grant us passage so we can look for lost miners? We are not looking for trouble, just for survivors.”

Varnaster looks to Kazri.  "We have found no one here.  The place was empty.  Perhaps all of the workers quit and left.  We don't know."

Raskin looks like he is trying to decide what to do. "I think I may prefer to clear this place out and have my employers send more miners.  I was told to find humans and dwarfs working the mine.  But my employers wants the mine running again and mine still belongs to my employer."

Turning to Varnaster,  "Perhaps they will take you on if you can prove to work the mine well, we will see."

"Kazri, you were hired to escort me to this mine. You have fulfilled that duty and I thank you.  I will stay and figure things out here.  You had other pressing business and if the orc trouble at the ranch is the same as the these people have had then there is larger trouble with orcs in the area.  That is a greater concern.  Those dead orcs may have been killed by the dragon but if they are here to seek other places to live it is just a matter of time before more come along.  Deal with the orcs."

Before Kazri or any others can voice a reminder about their other object, Rhogar is quick to pipe in with a hands raised in surrender. "Before anyone starts again. It is all on the way anyhow. And by the grace of Tymora, or Beshaba's cruel sense of entertainment, we may even find some captured ranchers among the lot. Let's JUST focus on getting in the general area and going from there, yah? We can hash things out further once we're on the road now."

The Bronze dragonborn then walks up to nearly tower over Varnaster. "Now we'll be back before you know it with some GOOD news, or so I hope. Please do well to take care of our former employer here, will you not? Because if we come back, and things are just as fishy if not moreso than this time." He leans in, breathing out the scent of fish, and fresh ozone wash down on the rat female. "Why we won't be able to QUITE as amicable. Do we understand each other?" He asks casually, but with the sound of electricity crackling just audibly at the back of his throat.

Intimidation: 21.
If able to use Chip's Bardic Die from earlier: 3.

"As you wish, Mr. Raskin." Kazri then turn to the group. "Gentlemen, do we have any other business here? If not, I rather get going to our next destination."

She goes to the wererats leader. "Overseer Vanaster, you mentioned that your group had been living in an old shrine near Conyberry. What can you tell us about it, and how many Orcs did you see when you left? And yes, we do wish that you keep Mr. Raskin safe. We are going to investigate this shrine, and we hope to return here after that."