Bleep moves around, trying to find any sort of route back to the surface. If the fools who challenged them not too long ago were able to get in, there must be an alternate way out.

Perception: 5

Darrik will lend his inherent knowledge of tunneling to whoever has the greatest chance of finding a way out (helping whoever has the best perception/investigation bonus).

OOC: Saros has +7 investigation check - happy to reroll ADV for the check - mind you with the last number of rolls it does not bode well....

Khan lingered in the storage room, if only to see if Ang picks up on something the Orange Grung had somehow overlooked in her search. Short of anything come of her second in command's finding, there would be little thought of delaying their return for anything more.

Whenever it later came to the dead end, Khan buried the knee jerk reaction to try kicking what she hoped to be but a thin barrier down. Yet as things yet stood emotionally for her, she left the examination to others, preferring to "delegate" only as absolutely necessary... not that she would need to anytime soon.

AT THE STORAGE CHAMBER

Ang arrives after Khan has already had a chance to cast a glance over the many supplies in this chamber. The purple grung had to climb around instead of leaping like the orange one did. 

Ang spends some time searching about the many piles of items until she comes across a box she recognizes as being one designed to hold ammunition. She opens it and is, at least initially, disappointed. There are about a dozen crossbow bolts inside the box, but they seem to all be snapped in half... save one. The experienced hunter notices that this one bolt looks brand new, a trait that is in stark contrast with everything else in these piles. Her expert eye understands this to be a walloping bolt, which is designed to bring its target down whether or not the shot is a fatal one.

Khan looks over, showing some interested. She spends a few extra minutes looking over the other items just to make sure she is not missing something obvious. In the end, she concludes that Ang's discovery was quite the lucky find.  

AT THE DEAD END

(@Shadow & @MuggsHill: So we can move forward, here's the advantage roll for Saros based on Darrik's help: 17. In the future, just assume it is fine and roll. I can tell you after the fact should I have a reason to ignore any dice rolls.)

Understanding that a dead end cannot be all that this tunnel has to reveal, the party immediately begins searching for clues on how to get out of here. Well, Khan just observes (and holds her lantern) and Blip simply stabs the air, but Ang, Ghee, Saros, Bleep, and Darrik all get busy. Ang focuses on the groves on the walls, Ghee taps on the rock, Saros looks for boot marks on the ground, Bleep looks at the ceiling, and Darrik studies the shape of the tunnel. After a whole bunch of nothing, a disheartened Ang sits on the ground and simply looks forward, seemingly done with her search. It takes several seconds of "1000-yard-staring" forward, but the purple grung eventually sees the wall straight ahead shimmer a bit. She mentions this to Saros, who immediately recognizes this as the telltale sign of an illusion. He asks Ang to try touching the section of the wall that shimmered and, once she does so, her hand simply goes through the wall. 

The illusion now obvious to all spectators, the group marches forward and soon finds themselves in what is obviously a mine. There doesn't seems to be anyone here, and the dwarves in the group can tell that there is a clear lack recent mining activity in the area. The group deduces this is the part of the town's mine they were told was closed due to a cave in, and that the tale was just a convenient lie backed up by an illusion. 

From this point, the way out is obvious and moonlight is coming through the passage ahead. Where is OGA + Watchers going? 

As the party pauses in the tunnel, Saros puts it to the others "We are in no shape to take on Weirdling and his cohort presently, a good rest is in order but where is the obvious question.  I doubt that town will be a safe haven, so perhaps another mine tunnel or back into the wilds?  Khan, anyone, your thoughts?  And watch out for that cat, could be a wizards familiar, like Omen, and should be killed on sight"

Saros will be actively looking for the cat from time to time and hopefully the party will be able to use passive perception if it Saros keeps reminding them Perception 17 

Darrik shrugs.

"I'd feel safer in the woods fer sure."

"The woods are goods but then we come back and deal with this wizard. We cannot flee, we need the head of the wizard so we can go back to our tribe."

"A matter of Honor" explained Ang

"Honor and revenge..." Bleep says as he looks at the state of the two brothers they had found.

A rest seems to be in order, and Saros suggests a couple of alternate locations. The wilderness seems the most appealing among them according to Darrik and Ang. With that in mind, the group makes their way out of the mine. As they walk, the grungs agree they must return to finish off Lord Weirding. 

@Saros: You see some fresh cat-paw prints in the mud leading out of the mine, but you do not spot the cat. 

The mining district may as well be a ghost town at this hour. Judging but what the party saw in recent days, all miners are now in the tavern, drinking their earnings away. The group easily finds an unmanned section of the town's wall within the mining district. Between the grung's leaping/climbing ability, Darrik's magical gloves, and some rope, the entire party makes their way over the wall and into the jungle. Ghee and the grungs know how to read the jungle well enough to find a good camping spot. 

(OOC: In order for everyone to rest, you'll need to set up at least four watches. Volunteers should go ahead and roll perception checks.) 

happy to share a watch #1

Perception: 10 with disadvantage 19

Ghee feels the aches of the last few days collect into his bones and they cry out for rest. He volunteers to take the last watch when he hopes that he might have had a chance to recover.

Perception 18, if at disadvantage then, 8

Khan will actually take a watch for a change. The second one, to be exact, despite having would've preferred the first to give her fellow Grung time to rest. Though regardless, even with the bit of respite granted by the first watch being taken, her thoughts are just as muddied by anger and turmoil by the time her rounds come about.

Perception: 9.

Darrik will take the last shift.

Perception: 17

(OOC: Two of you called the last watch, so I'll have to do some rearranging.)

FIRST WATCH

The first couple of hours worth of camping go on smoothly. A small fire burn in the center, with all adventurers setting their bedrolls, tents, pile of leaves, improvised pools of water, etc. near it. Ang climbs on a medium sized tree and waits for something to happen, but nothing does. In the distance, she can hear the shouts of guards. They seem to be yelling search orders, surely investigating the party's whereabouts, but it does not sound like they are getting any closer.

SECOND WATCH

Khan wakes herself up and takes over from her purple lieutenant. Even though she is normally well-aware of her surroundings, Khan can't help but feel bothered by the day's events. Her eyes are looking forward but the message is not being received by her brain, which is too busy with devising several different plan's for he next day and then poking them full of holes. She is eventually startled, but calms down after realizing it was just the noise of Blip waking up for another intense stabbing session. 

THIRD WATCH

The orange grung kicks the first non-grung bundle awake once she has completed her watch. It happens to be Darrik, who finds a fallen tree to sit on and keep an eye out. He takes about ten minutes to find the perfect way to sit on it, such that it is not uncomfortable. Just as he is satisfied with his sitting position, the druid is rocked out of his little world but a loud thump and crashing noise. The noise repeats once, and then again. Some of the other party members begin to stir in their sleep. Screams start to find their way to the camp. War cries, followed by panicked shrieks. Something is happening back at the village of Weirding.

(OOC: Will the group interrupt their still incomplete rest to go investigate?) 

OOC: Saros really needs to recover his spell slots so he is not keen to go investigate....that said, all good for some of our stealthier members to go take a look.

OOC: Lerus - sorry for the lack of responses, have been travelling with family for XMAS.  Don't know if you will allow it, but Saros would have gone through his normal routine of setting up Alarm (ritual), and having Omen scout around the camp, which would necessitate him casting Find Familiar again as a ritual as well, before settling down to rest.  He will also want to swap out some spells overnight as well, just haven't had the time to consider properly

Khan, having only just managed to force herself to even begin dozing, rises frowning and staring in the direction of Weirding. It took a few seconds, but as she recalled some scant details about supposed goblin attacks on the town, a small smile began to break out over her face. And for a moment, she was able to forget about her hatred of the oily green skinned bastards, and even nurse faint hope that they might actually trouble the lord, if not bring him out of the mansion.

Then her expression slowly began to fall again upon at another realization. "No... They can't have his head before Khan..." She muttered to herself, though is just loud enough for others to overhear. "Wait... if they attack gates... maybe... Maybe lordling forced to send reinforcements... if reinforcements sent, less guards at home..." The corner of her lips tilt upwards towards a smile, if albeit a fleeting one. For one glance at her still exhausted looking Grunglings gave her pause.

"... Heed order. You two stay. Protect Keep. Make Safer, if can. In case invaders must flee this way. Khan goes alone. Check out situation." She's quick to hold up a hand to her grung. "No hear advice. Khan has spoken." She then looks to the dwarves and Saros. "You keep them safe. Keep place safe. Khan return soon. If not return..." She bows her head for a moment, then nodded before looking up again. "You finish mission. No matter what, Lord's head rolls. Knife Eared Apprentice too. Take heads back to home." She lingers but for a few moments after that for any last words of advice or other. Then, she is off with every intention of using their same exit to get back inside the village, but gradually sneaking her way about to a higher position to observe the "festivities" and confirm her suspicions.

(@Saros: Not sure if Saros has or not, but does he not have Arcane Recovery?)

(@MuggsHill: No worries, mate. Enjoy the holidays! As for your rituals, that is all fine, but neither the alarm or the familiar have picked up on anything in particular up to the point the party is awoken by the loud noises. You can review your spell after completing a full rest, but that has not happened yet.) 

(OOC @All: For now, we have Saros staying for sure an Khan going to investigate for sure. What are the others doing? Those who would like to do so are welcome to roll hit dice and click on the "Short Rest" button on your sheets. Maybe this will help decide whether your character should stay or go. I'll wait until everyone decides to move forward.) 

On hearing that Khan wi.l head out, Saros quietly instructs Omen to go with the Grung, adding to Khan "Take Omen with you, he can always return to report if needed". Saros instructs Omen to stay with Khan but to return ic KhN is discovered or confronted..

OOC: Arcane recovery will get him 3 spells levels....which would give him one Hypnotoc Pattern....if we are going up against Weirdling I suspect he will need all his spell slots available.....