((Ahh check))

Alright Tamphalic suggests to leave the trapdoor for now, if they want to get some valuables out of it, we can do that after we found what we came here to find. For now let's continue, but be warry of when a rest is needed, and with the scroll active let's at first take the most direct exit towards the middle tomb.

Hildegard nods in agreement. "Let us pursue what we came here for, and not idle ourselves with grave robbing. This is not a place that we will wish to linger longer than necessary."

Hewelathan-wolf moves to the hallway directly across the burial chamber from the one they entered.  He peers down the dark tunnel and waits for Jodie and for whomever is carrying their light.

Perception 19 (rolling with advantage because of Dire Wolf's Keen Hearing and Smell in case the check relies on those senses)

Assuming that Hewelathan doesn't spot anything dangerous ahead, he'll follow closely behind Jodie since he's relatively stealthy in this form. 

Stealth 12

Hew-wolf leads the charge onward... and fortunately, his heightened lupine senses are sharp enough to catch onto the fact that there is a large pressure plate taking up the majority of the room's floor space! The chamber is otherwise empty, save for two treasure chests, each of which sits at the feet of an ominous statue...



As long as Hew-wolf lets everyone know about the pressure plate, this room can be skipped if you do not wish to check the contents of the chests.

The next room, on the other hand, is a bit more interesting. As you approach, you hear something slithering along the ground... if you peer into the chamber, you can see two enormous snakes! One of the snakes is clearly undead, a creature made entirely of bone. It slithers, or clatters, along the ground near the far-end of chamber lazily, seeming almost bored.



The second sits in the center of the chamber, coiled around a treasure chest protectively. Its glowing eyes stare unblinking into space.


Both creatures seem to be either unaware of your presence, or simply uncaring. Though somehow, you get the feeling that this will change as soon as you enter the chamber...

Quote from Mister_Whisker>>

Hew-wolf leads the charge onward... and fortunately, his heightened lupine senses are sharp enough to catch onto the fact that there is a large pressure plate taking up the majority of the room's floor space!

As long as Hew-wolf lets everyone know about the pressure plate, this room can be skipped if you do not wish to check the contents of the chests.

Maybe Jodie wants to risk it in the hopes that the statues turn into ghosts or some other undead, so she'd be impervious.  Otherwise, Hewelathan-wolf moves toward the next chamber to make the best use of Jodie's scroll of protection.

The next room, on the other hand, is a bit more interesting. As you approach, you hear something slithering along the ground... if you peer into the chamber, you can see two enormous snakes! One of the snakes is clearly undead, a creature made entirely of bone.

One of those appears to be a snake skeleton, but those are rather distinctive markings on the other one.  Does Hewelathan recognize what it is?  Nature: 16

Hewelathan:

(OOC: Hm...not sure how Hewelathan-wolf would communicate that.)

Hewelathan peers into the next chamber (the one after the one with the pressure plate) and his hackles go up again.  If Jodie or Korba can get close enough to look, Hewelathan-wolf lies down and scooches along the ground on his belly while he keeps flicking his pink tongue out of his mouth.  Then he stands up and walks over to Korba and bites his teeth on the metal vambrace of Korba's half-plate armor.  Then he looks into the room again and glares at the (non-skeletal) snake.  If they don't get it, he tries to reach out with a paw and gently tap Korba's plate mail with his claws and then he glares at the snake that's wrapped around the chest.

initiative: 18

Nickeline is intrigued by the ominous statue in the first room and is dying to know what's inside the chests, but with the pressure plate as a likely trigger of something, she figures the something won't happen spontaneously, and so can wait.

Upon reaching the second room, Nickeline prepares to fight the two snakes.

OOC:

History check on the first room's statue: 12 (14 if you include the Artificer's Lore bonus)

Initiative: 16

Tamphalic moves at the end of the group, not to interested in walking onto the pressure plate he follows to the 2nd room, seeing the snakes he expects them to fight them.

Init: 25 

Jodie claps her hands as Hewewolf pantomimes various concepts to the group.  "Oh I do love this game.   I think he is saying the snake looks quite a bit like Korba's mail.  So it may not be a real snake, but a construct.  The undead and the unliving both seem have quarrel with us."

Jodie peers (24) at the statue and the two chests it guards from a distance.  "Illusion or trap, one of those chests is likely a bad outcome..."

As metal snake moves, Jodie contemplates the songs and tales of arcana (22) from her travels.  "I once heard a song about such a creature..."

Init: 12

Quote from Faux_Beau >>

Jodie peers (24) at the statue and the two chests

As metal snake moves, Jodie contemplates the songs and tales of arcana (22)

(OOC: Wow!  Fantastic skill checks from Jodie!  It's like this crypt is Jodie's version of Slumdog Millionaire.)

Quote from Faux_Beau >>

Jodie claps her hands as Hewewolf pantomimes various concepts to the group.  "Oh I do love this game.   I think he is saying the snake looks quite a bit like Korba's mail.  So it may not be a real snake, but a construct.  The undead and the unliving both seem have quarrel with us."

Hewelathan-Wolf is too careful to bark with enemies so close, but he wags excitedly at Jodie's guess.  He crouches, ready to leap forward and attack as soon as Jodie (or someone else) decides how the party should split their attention between these creatures.

Jodie is able to put it together that the two statues are part of a trap mechanism. She can see that, hidden under their hoods, each has some kind of nozzle where its mouth would be, which would likely spew either flames or some toxic/acidic substance if anyone had been careless enough to step on the pressure plate. Also, the iron snake is a indeed some kind of a construct... strangely enough, the technology to create such an automaton is actually of Gnomish origin. It's a clever clockwork contraption.

Skeleton Snake initiative: 20
Metal Snake initiative: 8

--

Ruby initiative: 7
Orog initiative: 10
Orc Brutes (x2) initiative: 14

Hildegard initiative: 6

Initiative:

Skeleton Snake
--
Temphalic
Hewelathan
Nickeline
--
Orc Brute 1 - 1 damage
Orc Brute 2
--
Jodie
Korba
--
Orog
--
Metal Snake
--
Ruby
--
Hildegarde

Skeleton snake goes first... I don't really think there's a way to hide from the snakes while you're walking down an empty hallway towards them. The skeleton hisses in a strange language... and a ray of frost shoots towards Nickeline! It seems that perhaps this creature recognizes the threat that a Cleric could pose...

Ray of Frost vs. Nickeline:
Attack: 10 Damage: 6

Tamphalic will move in and try to get both snakes in his breath weapon DC12 DEX save or take 5 lightning damage and can't take reactions.

Hewelathan: Round 1

Hewelathan hasn't heard a battle plan, but the spell from the skeletal snake makes him decide to attack that creature first.  As Tamphalic's lighting crackles across the chamber, Hewelathan-wolf springs forward and lunges at the skeletal snake.  He tries to bite its neck and knock it down to make it an easier target for Hildegard and the orcs.  Perhaps they can crush it before it can fire off another spell!

Movement: Up to 50 ft. of movement to close distance with the skeletal snake.  If he has enough movement, he'll maneuver around to the far side of the snake so that the orcs have less far to move to close with it.
Action: Bite the skeletal snake: 19 Damage: 14 piercing
  It must all pass a DC 13 STR saving throw or be knocked prone.

(OOC: I'm not including advantage from Pack Tactics on this attack because I don't think that any of Hewelathan's allies are within 5' of the skeletal snake yet.)

Skeletal Snake strength save: 22