Abishai's Dragons of Icespire Peak

Zephyros finds the door unlocked and opens it. The 15' high room has 6 zombie sailors who all turn their heads in your direction as you open the door. They begin shambling towards the door gurgling and growling as they come.

What do you do?

The bearded veteran quickly closes the door again and turns to the group. "Zombies, six of them. We should be able to dispatch them quickly if we desire." Zephyros can't help but glance in Alisande's direction as he foolishly wonders if she will now have hesitation to eliminate this undead threat. He knows the thought is ridiculous so he quickly diverts and looks at the door instead to check if it can hold up to the zombies should they decide to attempt a break out to chase after us. 

Perception: 18

Rasziel feels helpless as emotions run high, he can't quite handle it and steps back as the neverwintan lady unleashes her seemingly pent up displeasure. He blames himself for not seeing this in time and wants to calm those strong emotions, again stepping closer to Alisande as the storm subsides. "Don't forget where we are, I can see your feelings run high Lady Alisande but we need to finish our mission here now." He says softly but firmly, hoping to calm her the best he can. "Now, can you continue or should I follow you back to the mainland?" He asks with a concerned look, not yet quite taking in the situation with the walking dead in the next room.

"Are zombies all that smart?" Meira asks. She doesn't really know, but she can't help but glance around, her eyes falling momentarily on Alisande. "I'm thinking can we set a bit of an ambush? Get in position where we can hit them at distance as the door opens?"  She looks around the area. "Maybe even draw them along into other spots where we can avoid immediately getting into a close fight."  

Drawing them along the stairs seems like an option, though they have no idea what they'll find either direction there. "At the least we could keep those doors to the stairwell open, pull them back into the entry area, then maybe even outside?"  She's clearly offering suggestions, but looking for quick response, as she doesn't know if the door will hold or not. 

Zephyros,

 As you close the door, the zombie sailors start banging and clawing at the door, but are otherwise contained for the time being.

Rasziel,

Alisande's furious expression softens as you speak to her. "I'm fine, just lost my temper there for a moment. I'll gladly help Zephyros see this to conclusion." The noblewoman takes up a spot at the back of the group and seems content to keep to herself and help when needed.

"I think this door will hold if we choose to move on, but we run the risk of being attacked from behind if they do manage to get past this door." Zephyros relays to the team. He looks at each member of their unlikely company looking for some feedback on how to proceed. Meanwhile, the bearded veteran asks his red-tailed hawk to fly up the lighthouse tower to get a look at what lies in wait above them.

Felagi Perception: 9

"That is good, we'll finish this and then talk about the future." The young dark-haired man says to the neverwintan lady with a small relieved smile, then turning his attention to the bearded veteran and the tenacious undead making a ruckus at the door. "Let the door ajar just slightly and I will stop the noise and make ceratain we won't be attacked from behind." He says with cold calm, stepping into position to methodically destroy the restless dead by purple infernal flames.

Meira nods at Rasziel's suggestion. "Do you need someone else to help hold the door Zephyros?" she asks, assuming that the old man would be the one to take on that task. "I can use my bow to perhaps add some support to the effort."  She takes up a position where she would be able to see through the door when opened but not be in the way of Rasziel. 

Zephyros opens the door just enough for his allies to fire at the monsters inside, but not enough for them to get out. Holding the door in place and using his foot to brace the door open, he holds his shield up to avoid getting his hands bit by the zombie sailors. "Okay, team... ready... fire!"

Athletics: 19

2nd Athletics if needed: 12

Zephryos,

As you open the door, the zombie sailors begin tugging and pulling on the door to open it further and wedge themselves between the gap you've created. However, as they do, your comrades begin peppering them with cracking purple energy and arrows that fly past you into the gap. The monsters within don't stand a chance against the combined firepower being sent as you stand in the gap, preventing their exit. Just as you begin feeling your grip on the door fail, the threat comes to an end.

Rasziel, Meira, and Gareth,

You all work together to obliterate the zombie sailors. The bodies have stacked up against the door, making it difficult to open. What do you do?

Distracted by thoughts of Sylvie, Gareth had been slow to react to the scene that unfolded with the juvenile harpies. Before he could say anything, Alisande attempted to feed them, which went rather poorly. The harpies were finished off before the ranger could even raise his sword or bow. While he doesn't relish killing juveniles of any species, especially ones with such human-like faces, privately he believes that nature holds more sway than nurture, especially in the wild. 

Finishing off the harpies did not appear to do much for Alisande's mood for an argument quickly started between her and Meira. The ranger knew better than to get involved, and he remained quiet. Even after the dispute appeared to be resolved, the ranger could still feel a tension in the air, a tension that is certainly not helped by the presence of undead. At least there is something he can do about that, as he puts his bow to work putting the dead back to rest. 

Once the zombies are put down, Gareth tries the door but finds it difficult to open. He shoves his shoulder against it and looks to Zephyros. "Want to see if there's anything inside?" the ranger asks. Gareth does his best to shove against the door, but his frame is lean. While fit, he doesn't have the brute strength of a warrior like Zephyros, and the door barely budges. 

Athletics - 6

Meira started to fire her bow immediately once Zephyros had gotten it open. She methodically aimed each shot, trying to be effective with her work while allowing Rasziel to flood the creatures with his purple energy, that he seemed to draw endlessly from... Well, she really had no clue about that.  Gareth of course helped as well with his bow and soon the creatures were eliminated as a threat. 

"Yes, we should take a look at least," Meira agrees with Gareth as he struggles with pushing the door.  She would move to offer to help, though she looks at Zephyros as she tries. "Think you can get it?" she asks.  

(Athletics attempt for the door: 13)

Zephyros watches as Gareth and Meira attempt to open the now blocked door and tries to add his own strength to the effort, but he feels a little weak after exerting himself holding the door and struggles to push the door open. "I'll try." After his attempt, he looks to Rasziel and Alisande and asks, "Any magic tricks to get this door open?"

Athletics: 9

The young dark-haired purple-robed man had indeed been blasting the restless dead until they were all but consumed by the purplish hellfire. "I'll see what I can do." He answers the old veteran and calls upon his infernal telekinetic powers to remove the bodies blocking the door. 

(Use telekinteic shove repetedly until door can be opened)

The group tries and tries again to force the door open, but in the end, the bodies piled up behind it prove too heavy to move. That is, until Rasziel uses his telekinetic powers to push the bodies away from the door. This proves to be quite effective, and before long, the door swings open.

Inside, you see six zombie sailor corpses peppered with arrows and scorch marks strewn across the flooring. The air is heavy with the stench of brine and rot. Against the far wall is what was once a shrine to someone or something, but the stone face has been gouged out, its crown shattered, its trident snapped in half. Someone has smeared a dark, oily substance across the stone, turning the image into a grotesque mockery. Barnacles crust the altar's edges, and at the base of the shrine is a shallow depression in the floor. An inch of salt water rests in the depression. 

Zephyros nods at the mind magic Rasziel displays to clear the doorway of the dead. Clearly impressed by the man with the sinister-looking scarred man, he says, "My thanks, sir. Perhaps some day you can teach me that magic?" While the question is in the form of a statement, the inflections in the voice make it sound like a question. 

Moving into the room, Ironheart begins to look around... "Hmm... another altar. What is this place?" He tries to identify who this god is that was being worshiped and desecrated. 

Religion: 4

Once the corpses are pushed back and the door opened, Meira takes a look through into the room. (Perception: 6) "Not sure we have the time for it now, but might help the place out to clean up that shrine. Wonder who that statue depicted." 

Rasziel merely nods politely at the bearded veteran. The power he had used was not his to teach, and considering the price it had come with he hoped the old warrior would never decide to still learn it. This was not the time to try to explain these things though. Instead he calls upon the powers invested in him to reveal what is under the dark, oily substance, hoping to find out who this place once had been sacred to.

Cast Prestidigitation
Religion/History if relevant: 16

Gareth nods in appreciation as Rasziel is able to clear away the corpses easily with magic. "That's a useful spell," the ranger says. "Let's see what's inside."

Zephyros and Rasziel study the altar while Meira looks around. Not being particularly religious, the ranger doesn't think he'll have any idea which god this altar could be dedicated to so instead he starts looking around the rest of the room to see if there's anything else of interest.

Perception - 14

Zephyros,

You have no idea what deity this desecrated shrine pays homage to.

Meira,

You look around the room, but don't see much more than the huge mess left behind by the undead spread across the floor.

Rasziel,

Gareth,