Leon sends Striker on into the room ahead to have a look.

Ramious watches the owl flit forward, and follows to the edge of the opening to look around.  Perception: 21

As soon as the owl glided inside the cave, he was met with a happy howl from at least five creatures, leaping in the air trying to reach the bird (Ramious counted five but the jumping and running left feeling there are more of them in there).

Poor bird was ripped apart in a matter of seconds and disappeared, but Leon gor the image of the cave with two additional passages to the west and to the sought. And, of course, the attackers - there are many, and judging by the stink (claws and general look) you found your troglodytes. Disappointed grumble met owl's disappearance and then cave become quiet again.

(Any way you can change that to go into initiative for the owl?  The issue is that the owl has flyby, so does not provoke attacks of opportunity as it flies past.  Only way the creatures would then get to attack it is in their initiative order, which should have given Leon more than enough time to send the owl to its extra-dimentional space.  I am fine if you just say it is gone, since I can always resummon another, but I just like things to make sense in-game, so would like a chance to have saved the owl, per normal options.)

Ramious sneaks back to the group, "Five big lizard lookin guys. I guess as an 'adventurer' I should expect I have to fight things with sharp claws more often. Shall we go in there and beat them up?"  He grasps the hilt of his rusty old rapier. He looks to Alyssa, "You may want to stay back a bit.  Don't get hurt ok."  He seems to be being sincere with his worry.

("Realistically" speaking - and I do realize how funny it sounds - I would say the bird is dead. It was not a fight, it was several troglodytes saw food flying right to them and trying to catch it. But game-mechanically speaking - ambush situation, and you are right, I did not make check. Ok, let's do them. I'll use Perception 16 - the one you rolled for owl at the entrance. Troglodytes hiding:

 Still dead.

(Surprise rules says that as long as one of the enemy is not besting the specific creature's perception score, the entire group is then not granted surprise against that specific creature...)

Then scratched the first troglodyte (uncounted) and count one who won the initiative - he still hit the bird.

 Ramious wanders back to the group, "Sorry about your owl. It wasn't very observant anyway.  It almost flew into a tree back at the village.  You were do for a new one."  He seems to be trying to make Leon feel better, while simultaneously being completely unaware of how insensitive his remarks are. 

"Anyway, what's our plan of attack?  Just all rush in there?" 

Alyssa would return Ramious’ look with a respectful nod. He seemed sincere, so she didn’t take offence to it. She was starting to worry that the others may see her as the weakest, and hopefully not a liability. The archaeologist would start nibbling her lip a little as she got lost in her own thoughts.

”Wasn’t me!” Squawks Hue from his perch.

Alyssa would palm her face before throwing out an idea, “Any benefit to drawing them out instead? Toss in a torch?” She’d shrug. Though she does have a spell or two up her sleeve if they were to charge in there.

"It was only a familiar."  Leon says with a shrug.  He pulls out his new great sword and waits for the others to decide what to do.

"The passage narrows at the entrance to their cavern," Cinder says, after hearing what the others have to say.   "I say we use it as a chokepoint to affect a lot of them at once.  I can cast a fire spell on them if I'm in the passage... if you have something that would disable them while in that room, Alyssa, then they would be easy pickings for our blades.  I definitely do not suggest we leave them to their own devices.  They get one whiff of us, and we'll be their next meal."

"I'm leaning towards luring them out for the choke point tactic. I haven't prepared a sleep spell today... I was actually going to offer to be bait if we wanted to go in."

"Mm... let me draw them out.  My burning hands spell will work best if I can direct it into the room.  Believe me, when they're on fire, they'll want to come out."  She looks at the others.  "I'm not the stealthiest of individuals, though," she adds, gesturing at her shock of bright, flaming hair.   "If we do this, the rest of you have to be ready to act and block off the door, because what's happening is neither going to be subtle nor confusing to them."

"Sounds good." Leon says with a shrug.

Ramious nods, "Ok, you go burn them, then when they rush you, we'll stop them from getting past the hallway.  I don't mind fire too much so even if I'm fighting with them feel free to burn them some more."  He shrugs as if being torched alive is no big deal. 

Ramious crouches behind her, ready to leap into action.  Held action, when one of them gets within 10 feet of Cinder....which should be in the hallway, Ramious is going to leap forward and attack them. 

Alyssa would step back from the choke point to allow the melee to take up their positions before Cinder makes her move to flush out the beasties. She’ll lift her arm up to raise Hue higher. “When the flock comes, expand your wings to startle and to block their path. Keep them clustered in this area for easy pickings.”

”Squawk! Easy pickings!”

Next, the elf would dig her heels into the dirt to ground herself. Her free hand will reach down to touch the amulet that hung around her neck. Alyssa was ready to call upon magic to strike their targets.

"Ready when you are..."  Leon says, shifting his grip on his blade. His chain mail clinks in the dark tunnel as he stretches his powerful shoulders a bit, making sure he is limber for the battle to come.  He tosses his torch to the ground along one side of the tunnel, where it sputters a bit, but continues to give off some light for him to see by.  Moving up to stand next to Ramious he stares into the pitch blackness ahead and waits.  His body language is confident, even in this darkness, with only the dancing light of his sputtering torch laying nearby to give off light.  Green fire dances along his blade as he readies a green flame blade for the combat.

Cinder nods to the others, then crouches down, and takes off at a run, her hair flickering like a bonfire behind her.  She skids to a stop in the narrow entrance of the room where the trogdolytes await, and can't help but laugh in glee as she joins her hands together in a V-shape and flames erupt from them in a wide arc.  "Burn!" she shouts gleefully.  "Burn to ashes for me!"

(10 fire damage, DEX 14 for half damage)

As soon as the flames gout out, Cinder steps backwards in retreat, drawing her warpick in anticipation.

A thick rumbling growl arises from Ramious throat as she runs past, the furrow on his face deepening into something that looks half crazed and very dangerous.....(Rage)