My save is filled,
Vrór and Carl - I confess I have mercilessly used your characters, making your "hurried sloshing" through knee deep water responsible for the detection first by the owl and then by the guard. If this doesn't fit in with your understanding of the scene, please let me know and I will edit and come up with something else to attract the guards.
I am having a tough time understanding exactly how the hole, tunnel, and creek bank physically fit together. I am always bad visualizing things like this so please correct me if I have misrepresented something.
Dorran - it's your turn now. Use Lindir as needed.