Straight after the combat, our heroes headed north, out the door the undead had been running for.
There was a corridor and a ladder leading down. They ignored the ladder and headed north and through the next door, finding another room with arrow-slits overlooking the main cavern, with a door continuing north and a small room to the west. Inside the small room was a hole in the floor, what used to be an elevator for bringing goods from below up to these watchrooms.
The party tied ropes (because that was easier than the ladder?) and sent Rufilim down the rope (because Bards go first!).
The undead, who had been waiting to swarm up through the hole and ambush the characters, were overjoyed. One of them cut the rope, dropping Rufilim 30 feet to the stone floor, where he was now surrounded by ghouls. Well, by one ghoul, anyway. Where were the rest? Read on…
While the ghoul tried to eat Rufilim (grrrr, nasty tiefling keeps wriggling, stay paralysed so we can eats you!) the rest of the party ran for the ladder, because running five rounds to the ladder was better than spending two rounds tying another rope. They discovered a ghoul waiting by the south door. Oskar pulled it into the room and he and Sheepstrangler made short work of it.
Those up top noticed a shadow watching the fight. Orion taunted it, so it floated through the wall and attacked him. The ghast waiting by the hole climbed up the rock and attacked Orion from behind. Timely use of shield saved Orion's butt.
Oskar and Sheepstranlger finished off their ghoul and headed down to rescue a paralysed Rufilim. When your Bard stops making any noise, it's a bad sign. "Hey Orion, have you got that ghoul?" "Yep, you go help Rufilim."
Orion might have had a ghoul but what he was facing was a ghast, with a paralysing aura. Though a ghoul did join it, coming in through the north door (that no-one had bothered to check or bar). The insubstantial shadow-thing returned as well, casting a stinking cloud spell.
It was to be Orion's last day.
Paralysed, sickened, failing to hit with spells, he ran out of health and collapsed, never to rise. The other three made a heroic effort to get back up the ladder, but couldn't reach him in time.
They had to content themselves by killing the ghast in an epic little battle halfway down the ladder.
The shadow slunk away, flying straight into the wall.
1 ghast
3 ghouls @ 200
113
150
2,829
2,979
Notes
Short session, due to Saga's AGM.