[ezekill]

Here is the way i have always done it, and never yet has it failed me
BEFORE you meet up with him in the tavern, go to the derelict house, with a theif set traps everywhere in the room (mainly where they appear) yoshi can set special traps, and with mages cast glyphs of wardings and skull traps, then go see Baron Ployer, then go back to the derelict house, send in one beefed up fighter (haste, protection from magic etc) then as soon as the dialog is finished, the traps will kill most (if not all) of them, and with your fighter mop up any survivors.