2. The First Delve

Fenwick completes her sketch of the glyph and carefully moves over to the statue room besides Gabbro.

"Nice line work," Gabbro whispers to Fenwick, admiring her artwork, then adds, a little louder to include Swan, too: "How badly do you think it would mess up whatever's coming up the stairs if we rolled some big stone heads on 'em?" He looks meaningfully at the some of the larger bits of broken statuary.

Swan replies back, "I would rather not try to set a trap there. We do plan to use it ourselves. Let's just check out that rubble room fast to see if it goes on behind the portcullis room."

Swan leads off to head to the rubble room.

"It's not a trap...!" Gabbro whispers at Swan's retreating back, but when he realizes she's already walked out of earshot, he then turns to continue with Fenwick, "We get ready to roll some heads on 'em now, if they're enemies, or we flee. What do you think?" He gets a sly look on his face. "They might be kobolds!"

"If we're not going to run now, we should hold here," Fenwick whispers to those nearby, figuring if she can hear others coming, they can also be heard. She points down the steps with her spear. "If we control the landing we can spread out while they'll be in each other's way coming up the stair."

or we could carefully get all closer to the glyph, if those noises are made by any threath, the trap could be our ally when they get closer and step on the plate"

I’ll assume that Tiberious performs his search at the same time that Lanhkmer is searching the wall with the glyph so that it doesn’t take an additional turn.

Unfortunately, Tiberious finds nothing; the wall appears solid.

The rattling noises continue to get louder until, from around the corner at the bottom of the first flight of steps, 30’ ahead of you, an animated skeleton clad in tattered clothing and wielding a rusty short sword appears out of the gloom. A second and third quickly appear behind it, and it sounds like there are even more still ascending from below.

Your current positions are as follows, as best as I can ascertain them from your most recent posts:

- Gabbro and Fenwick are just beyond the westerly exit from the Smashed Chamber, gazing down at the skeletons.

- Swan and Tiberious are in the Smashed Chamber.

- Lanhkmer is in the short northerly passage having just completed his search of the far wall, with Ricard watching on.

What do you do? The skeletons move more slowly than you and you’re not going to be surprised given the noise they have made. So you still have a chance to escape if you move immediately. Otherwise, we’ll be rolling for initiative.

Fenwick will take Lanhkmer's advice ans retreat behind the trap into the glyph room hoping they won't follow. She tugs at Gabbro's arm as she passes.
"Come on, there's too many to take by ourselves."

"...given the absence of men of faith, fighters...we're in your hands!"

Lanhkmer retreats as close as possible to the cul de sac where the glyph is placed, unsheating his short sword and hoping he will not have to use it.
" worst case scenario, let's lure them to the trap"

Undead skeleton, great she thinks and the reason she brought a warhammer. She would rather have attacked them with our favor and not on the run which is what is going to happen here. She also knows she can't outrun them probably so losing then in the maze of passage is best. Just like she did early with the Orcs.

"Run to the foyer where we can escape if needed. Don't let them trap you." she suggests as she is changing out her handaxe for a warhammer.

No, just like you in a 10' wide corridor, they can move two abreast.

Ricard sees Swan prepare to run and gets ready as well.

"Lanhkmer, we gotta go" he whispers to the thief...

Tiberious turns away from the wall in disappointment. If there is a passage from here, I do not see it. This wall looks solid ...

He turns and notices that something is climbing the stairs. He realizes that they are skeletons - long dead bodies clothed in tattered, rotten clothing. The bleached bones gleaming in the lantern light. MOVE! We need to get out of here! He rushes for the eastern hall, but hesitates long enough to grab a broken statue piece and throws it at the creatures ascending the stairs.

With the others fleeing as she approaches the glyph room, Fenwick changes her heading and follows after.

As soon as the skeletons appear, Gabbro tosses a stone head down the stairs and then, seeing everyone else fleeing, runs after the rest of the party, grumbling. "We'll never get a better tactical situation than this one..."

Gabbro’s and Tiberious’ makeshift attacks do little to halt the mechanical advance of the skeletons - eight in total - as they rattle their way up the stairs.

Deciding that discretion is the better part of valour, the Hellions beat a hasty retreat east, comfortably outpacing the advancing undead.

You soon arrive back at the second intersection … what’s the plan?

---
Day 2, 11:30 am
Fenwick, Elf 1: 5/5
Gabbro, Elf 1: 7/7
Lanhkmer, Thief 1: 4/4
Ricard, Fighter 1: 7/7
Swan, Fighter 1: 5/6
Tiberious, Magic-User 1: 5/5

Link to Gabbro's mega-maps ...
Link to Tiberious' mega-maps ...

"I still say we head south and around that corner we stopped at; of course, I usually have terrible ideas!"

Lanhkmer follows the others as the noise of the "visitors" becomes louder

OOC: if we are at the intersection east of the glyph area I'd say let's get back to the dwarves area, it's too dangerous to continue further east, we don't know what's in there

Swan says as we hit the second intersection, "Undead tend to follow hard. Let's get to the foyer so we have an escape if they are still coming. Last thing you want is to get boxed in. Swan will continue up to the foyer to listen and see if they are still coming. She still has her warhammer for skeleton business handy.