Thursday 12 July 1280, Afternoon (Where Is That Darned Sinder, Anyway?)

"I suggest we rush in," whispers Oloc as quietly as he can. "We should be able to surprise them and perhaps catch them completely off guard. What say you?" The Mage tries to convince the others of the soundness of his plan.

Gaven listens to Oloc's suggestion then whispers, "The other alternative is to try and sneak a peek to see what we're up against. Whatever is decided upon, I will take rear guard so as not to alert the bandits to our sneak attack by my armor."

"If there is a way to sneak a look before rushing in I think that would be best. Perhaps if we can stay hidden I can surprise them with several arrows before the rest of you rush in," says Duran.

With a slight majority of the Free Company favoring the stealth option, Gaven takes up position in the rear, as Duran moves up front to scout.

Arriving first across the cavern and peeking out the north exit, with Swede following silently close behind him, Duran looks ahead and sees a long empty tunnel, dimly illuminated by torches at extended intervals. The tunnel itself is twenty feet wide, and extends due north to yet another cavern, about sixty feet away. It is clearly from the cavern at the end of this tunnel that the voices are coming.  

Right up at the corner, Duran can pick out the voices more clearly now. He could swear that the most talkative of the voices is the one you heard swearing and cursing Alanna earlier that day at the cave entrance.*

Duran still can't catch the conversation entirely, but he hears bits and pieces that seem directed at the Alanna: "Alanna... ...damned witch ... pay ... treats me this way ..." and then a change in subject: "Where the hell is that boy? ... done by now ... how long ... clean up ..."

Suddenly Swede jumps back away from the corner, pulling Duran back toward the party with him. Just as the hobgoblin yanks him backward, Duran catches the quickest glimpse of a silhouette, backlit by distant torchlight, in the entrance to the chamber from which the voices emanate. Swede quickly puts a finger to his lips and signals to the rest of you that someone is coming down the tunnel towards you.

No alarm is raised so it seems neither Duran nor Swede was spotted. You hear footsteps getting closer, and a voice – different from the one you've heard to this point – calls out "Sinder! Are you there you lazy scalawag?" Then lower, almost muttering, as if talking to himself: "Just lying about doing nothing I'll bet, while the boss sends me to find him. Aspasia's bum! If he's napping, I'll give him the back of my hand!" His voice, and his footsteps, are coming closer.

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OOC:  Actions?

I'm assuming, unless you say otherwise, that since the area is already illuminated, you extinguished your torches as you were moving up stealthily.

*Regarding the voice, here is what you heard it say earlier at the cave entrance:

Suddenly you hear a foul oath from a gruff voice echo out from the cave, followed by the command: "Clear that wood out of there and drag those bodies back in here! Sons of a Succubus! Some cowardly peasant militia from Ham's Fork must have found their way down here and thought they could smoke me out! No doubt Alanna put them up to it, too. By all the shadows, I'll cut her throat for this!"