(OOC- Sorry about not posting over the weekend, it was busier than I planned.)

Again Thom is going to suck at trying to hit the old guard to not kill Attack: 15 Damage: 13

Thom, your strike against the guard is ineffective, as it's narrowly deflected with a deft parry from a shield.

 The other two guards, seeing their elderly friend turn tail, begin to sprint away as well. Both take the Dash, and provoke Opportunity Attacks from everyone with a melee weapon drawn (save for Wulgar, who already used his reaction).

By now, all three guards are at the entrance of the passages beneath the rocky precipice above. They are all within the range of ranged weapons, but might require pursuit to be taken after by melee weapons. Two are injured, one is uninjured.

 Initiative Order.

Cowardly Guard (unconscious), Elderly Guard (-3 HP), Cora, Thom, Observant Guard, Brutish Guard (-6 HP), Wulgar, Lucille.

Wulgar, Lucille, it is your turns.

Wulgar is still in a rage from the attack by these guards.  He pursues them, running after them.  If he can get to within 15 feet of them, he breathes a cone of fire from his mouth, trying to burn all three of them up if he can.  

They would take 5 fire damage, DC 12 dex save for half damage.  

AOO on old guard if possible Attack: 16 Damage: 8

(When it's Cora's turn)

If the guards are alone (aka no allies within 5ft.)

 If allies are within 5ft of the guards.

Another ray of frost at the brutish guard! Attack: 8 Damage: 5

(I'll hit one day...)

Thom, you clobber the elderly guard as he's turning to run, and knock him out cold! He's not dead, but clearly unconscious. (-8 HP)

 Guard Dexterity Saving Throws (Wulgar's Breath Weapon)

Observant Guard: 4 (-5 HP)

Brutish Guard: 21 (-2 HP)

The observant guard isn't quite so observant as he's sprinting away. He turns his eyes back, and spots the growing flames following him down the corridor. He shoves the brutish guard out of the way, but isn't so quick himself, taking the brunt of the flames.

 Lucille, your ray of frost slams into the wall once again as the brutish guard is sprinting away from the scene.

 Guard Dexterity Saving Throws (Cora's Ice Knife)

Observant Guard: 21

Brutish Guard: 11 (-4 HP)

The sliver of ice collides into a stalagmite, but shatters into a million pieces. The observant guard is able to shield himself from the shards of ice, but the brutish guard stumbles a little as he recovers from the fan of flames. In the process, he's impaled by the icicle shards. Unlike his other two unconscious companions, he is completely dead from the violent power of the spell.

The last remaining guard looks as if he's about ready to surrender.

 Initiative Order.

Cowardly Guard (unconscious), Elderly Guard (unconscious), Cora, Thom, Observant Guard (-5 HP), Brutish Guard (dead), Wulgar, Lucille.

Thom, it is you turn.

Thom is going to tie the old dude up.

As you all set to work tying up the guards and relishing in the aftermath of the battle, the last conscious guard steps forward, and surrenders. He'll drop his weapons, and drop to his knees. "M-mercy, please."

Combat has concluded. Feel free to question the guards, if you please.

"WHY ARE PEOPLE GOING MISSING!?" Thom screams at the last guard who is begging, with my sword pointed at his heart. I am trying to scare him into talking 4

Well he is not shaking in his boots as I had hoped, but it seems in character.

Wulgar relaxes slightly, hefts his great axe, walks over to one of the unconscious guards and puts his foot on them, puts his axe handle in their back and leans on it as he talks to the observant guard.  “So.  Bunch of pissants trying to kill us.  We are here to find out what is happening with the missing fishermen.  Care to fill us in?  This here” he points to his axe “is Lucy.  (He winks at Lucille) She will start talking if you don’t.  If you want to leave here with your hands and feet intact, you better start talking.  I’m all ears...”. He leans on the axe handle until the unconscious guard groans, looks up and smiles.  

Cora walks up to Lucille and bumps her hips with hers. "Good job hun! Didn't doubt ya for a second. How much you bet he pees himself."

Lucille looks down at her hands, almost disappointed, as blue-white flakes of eldritch energy dance around her fingers. "I don't know about that. I don't think I hit once."

The guard may not be shaking in his boots due to Thom's yelling, but he's definitely more than a bit spooked. He knows what happened with his pals. Wulgar's axe definitely gets him shaking a little more.

"M-my boss, he just told us to do it. Told us he'd pay us good coin to not ask questions. B-but we had a contact in the Empty Net. He'd send folk here, we'd d-dispose of them, and we'd head back to report that the job was done. T-told us to call him Gil. Eyepatch, splotchy clothing. Very tanned, p-probably a sailor. I know he works for someone bigger, someone in town, b-but I'm not sure who."

"P-please, that's all I know. I've got a wife, and two kids..."

Lucille readies a ray of frost, her hands glowing blue-white. "Are you sure that's everything you know?" I will attempt Intimidation, and try Insight to see if he's telling the truth.

Intimidation: 20
Insight: 7

With Cora's time in town and life as a pirate, would she know this Gil?

History if needed: 13

Wulgar leans in a little more, grinding his axe handle in, a small groan escapes the unconscious man.  "What's your name, mate?  And where do you live with your wife and your two kids?  It would be a shame to have to go visit them if we discover that you have lied to us, wouldn't it?  Is there anything else that you can tell us?  Anything at all?"  Wulgar puts his other hand on his whip at his waist and pulls it out, uncoils it and cracks it a couple of times, then he gives the observant guard the meanest, roughest look that a red Dragonborn can make.  "You look like the observant type, you notice more than most, I'm sure you've seen something else that we should know...."

Cora grabs Lucille's hand as Wulgar interrogates the guard. Squeezing it tightly as he speaks of hurting the family. Whispering to Lucille Cora says. "Oh my god, that's so harsh."

Lucille, he doesn't flinch in response to ice shards forming around your hand due to your spell. But it does seem he's sincere: a middle-man in a more sinister plot.

Cora, you'd recognize the name Gil. He's primarily an information broker, though rumor has it that he works with the Sea Princes: vile slavers within the area. Your history check does not net you any additional information.

Wulgar, the guard flinches as he hears the crack of the whip. "M-my name's Ivar, s-sir. W-we live close to the d-docks. Been here our whole l-lives." He gulps. "A-a-and, aah... there's one of the passages here, we've blocked it off for weapons storage. We were told to store the bodies and their belongings there, a-and every time we've come back, they've been gone. It's l-likely that some other party may be stopping by here again, soon."

"T-though, Gil might be suspicious if we don't tell him we're done. T-the other party may not stop by, or they may be prepared for you all, if they know we've been d-disposed of. I can go back and tell him that the coast is clear, and t-then if you all want to host an ambush here for the next group, you'll have the jump on t-them."

"Ivar."  Wulgar comes over and yanks the spear away from Ivar, talking slowly as he does so, then searches him for any other weapons and removes them.   "So.... you want us to be merciful to you, because you lure fishermen here, kill them, have someone else take their things.... and I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?  I don't really trust you to go back and tell them that the coast is clear.  I suspect you will go back and tell them to bring more men here.  Am I right?"  Wulgar turns to the others.  "Do you believe this little piece of shit?  What do you think we should do with him?"