The Windhovers' Call

Ozum will slowly and quietly open the door and continue forward if he does not see anything overtly dangerous.

Perception: 12

Ozum carefully turns the knob and slowly...begins...to...pull...the...door...

But all the thoughtful planning and concerted effort to remain silent and undetected comes crashing down at that moment. In the next room, the violent sound of shattering glass explodes upon the silence in the cellar. The door you just attempted to open must have been rigged to alarm the occupants of the keep. You would not be surprised to see a hundred broken bottles on the floor in the next room. The sound was that loud and jarring. Almost immediately after this alarm has been sounded, you can hear the muffled sound of running feet in the rooms above you.

“Well... I guess we are going to meet our host...”

Frandal readies his bow towards the door. 

The layout of the wine cellar and the room next to it, which basically serves as storage for dry goods, is below. Please let me know where you are standing as you prepare for whatever or whoever might be coming to meet you.  Each of you will be represented by a circular token, which I will move to the appropriate location. The next room contains shelves that are nearly 6' tall; they are filled with a variety of items: sugar, flour, jars, bottles, pots, etc. So, for example, if you were to be in square #8, then you would be hiding between two shelves.

NOTE: The map scale is 10' per square. 

EDIT: Roll initiative as well.

Kurt Draws both his Scimitars and steps up into the other room.

Xellos shakes his head and facepalms, "Well, this secret entrance is no longer secret."

He moves to square 9 to make use of the cover from the shelves.

Initiative 20

Arissa moves to 19.

Initiative: 22

Initiative for DM: 12 (at disadvantage because the five party members are standing at the ready and lying in wait). 

Everyone: Keep in mind that the shelving is too high for you to make ranged attacks over it. 

Current locations for Arissa (initiative 22), Kurt (initiative 22), and Xellos (initiative 20); Frandal and Ozum will be added/moved after they make their next post: 

Frandal will stay at 5 bow at the ready. 

“Remember that they could be the rightfuk inhabitants of the castle...”

Initiative: 7

Ozum will move to 12 and say, "If they trapped that door they already knew about the passage, which tells us something at least."

Initiative: 17

As you take your respective positions in the cellar, you hear the distinct sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor rapidly coming down the stairs. The darkness of the cellar makes it somewhat difficult to make out many details of the first two creatures to appear on the stairs; you can tell, however, that although they may have been human at one time in the past, they are no longer. Through their tattered clothing and ragged-looking armor, you can see their bare bones. Rather than a human face, you see only a skull with black eye sockets. The first of these skeletons stop near the bottom of the stairs and remain partially obscured by the wall that separates the stairwell from the cellar.  They have their short bows drawn and seemingly are preparing to fire their first volley of arrows. Two more of the creatures, with shortswords drawn, descend the stairs behind the two skeletal archers.

Arissa and Kurt, you're first on the initiative list. What action(s) will you take?

NOTE: S1 and S2 have bows drawn; S3 and S4 have shortswords drawn.

Kurt moves forward and swings his swords.

Kurt steps forward and quickly dispatches the first sword-wielding skeleton to make it down the stairs. Kurt's third swing of the sword cut the falling creature cleanly in half before it crashed to the floor. 

(S3 has been slain)

Kurt: 

Arissa moves to 11 next to the shelves and strikes a dissonant chord on her lyre, which inspires Frandal (roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw you make in the next 10 minutes). A wall of fire sprouts up along the staircase. (Draw a  60 feet line starting at S1 and passing through S2). She then moves away again.

Damage: 32 fire (DEX Saving Throw DC14)

Arissa creates a powerful wall of flame that begins at the bottom of the stairs and continues up the stairwell, potentially engulfing every creature in its path in flames. Unbeknownst to her when she cast the spell, three other creatures were descending the stairwell.

DEX saving throws for all five undead on the stairwell:

• Skeleton 1: 5
• Skeleton 2: 4
• Skeleton 5: 3
• Wight 1: 20
• Wight 2: 12

The three skeletons immediately collapse and tumble down the stairs; their shredded garments consumed and their bones blackened by the flames. The first wight (W1) suffers 10 points of fire damage, the second (W2) takes the full 20 points of fire damage. Both wights continue down the stairs, longswords at the ready.

EDIT: S4 is within the range of effect of Arissa's spell as well. DEX saving throw for S4: 6

 (S1, S2, S4, and S5 slain)

Xellos' (initiative 20) turn is next, followed by Ozum's, DM's, and, lastly, Frandal's.

Xellos sees the skeletons crumble, but then sees the two wights appear from the stairs when he pops out if his hiding spot (moving to 14 to have a clear line of sight) and he immediately changes his planned incantation.

He clenches a red dragon scale in his hands and raises them both over his head as he chants, "Varah Eelay, varah tulu, obey your bloodoath— come forth from the realm of Abbadon become a firey line and burn everything around—Exodus!" 

He outsretches both hands and a line of fire extends forth from him and hits the oppose wall, going right across the bottom of the stairs on the wights. (Just under space 11 where S4 was standing)

The two wights--wholly intent on unleashing their rage on Kurt, who stands near the bottom of the stairs--are dashing down the stairs when Xellos' flames suddenly engulf them.

DEX saving throws:

• W1 14 (sustains 8 HP fire damage)
• W2 14 (sustains 17 HP fire damage)

The wights press onward, now more deeply enraged. 

(Ozum (initiative 17) is next to take an action.)

Ozum will move up to where Xellos just was (9), he peaks around the corner and shields his eyes from the flames but cannot see any enemies. He says a quick druidic chant and moves his hands as if he was pulling out his own breath. He stops just before the spell is complete, keeping his eyes trained on the bottom of the stairs. 

The scene in the cellar now looks as follows:

The appearance of the first wight at the bottom of the stairs then triggers Ozum to complete the casting of Frostbite. (CON saving throw for W1: 4)

Both wights turn their longswords on Kurt Stoneseeker...

• W1 1st Attack: 5 Damage: 3 | 2nd Attack:  15 Damage: 8 
• W2 1st Attack: 9 Damage: 4 | 2nd Attack:  10 Damage: 10 

Only one longsword attack is successful. Kurt takes 5 HP slashing damage.

Frandal: the next action is yours. 

Frandal fires his bow towards the undead and almost without thinking he fires again in a smooth movement, trying to take down one of them.