OOC: Botting Arnald and Otger for this round, with a rapier attack and sacred flame.

It will be a couple rounds before Zelra reaches the party.

DM Screen:

Skeleton CON Save: 13
Rapier vs. Skeleton: 10 Damage: 11
Skeleton DEX Save: 8 Damage: 2

Shortsword vs. Ola: 10
Shortsword vs. Otger: 12

Near Ruik, the skeleton advances through the dwarf's magic, ignoring its effects. Uragum arrives to defend, but his punch glances off the bone of the creature's exposed skull. The skull does not hold up to Sylyra's staff quite as well, as the elf appears with a downward swing, obliterating the animated dead.

Healed somewhat by Ruik, Arnald severs the spine of the skeleton that gouged him, turning to see Ola glide around a lunge, spinning to cut apart more of a skeleton's ribs. Otger backs up against a wall to avoid being impaled by the other remaining skeleton, bringing a wreath of holy fire onto it.

Round 3 Order:
Players <=====
Skeletons

Placement:
Two skeletons remain.
Ola and Otger are each engaged in melee combat with a skeleton.
All combatants are within range.

Tracking:
The skeleton in combat with Ola is grievously wounded.
The skeleton in combat with Otger is wounded.

"Die already!" Ola lost that little patience she had left:

Longsword 2h attack again: Attack: 24 Damage: 8

Ruik grimaced as his spell fails to affect the skeleton.  "I need some new spells.  I hope I grow stronger in this magic soon." he mutters to himself while he casts  Frostbite on the nearest skeleton.

Damage - 6

"when spells fail you," Uragum starts to say as he throws another heavy handed punch at the skeleton by Ola, "You use your fists."  He then catches himself after the punch and prepares for the next attack.

Attack: 11 Damage: 6

Sylyra, looking a bit more cocky than usual, steps up behind the skeleton menacing Otger and swings his staff once again.

Action: shillelagh attack with quarterstaff: 13, damage: 11 bludgeoning damage

As the skeleton before him crumbles, Arnald looks for another to attack.

OOC: which ever's closest

Attack: 16
Damage: 9

Zelra will keep running and shouting.

Ola's sword clangs off of the skeleton's, causing Uragum to pull his punch away from the rebounding blade. The creature then shatters into a shower of bones as Arnald arrives, cleaving through its ribcage.

The others make short work of the remaining undead; Sylyra's staff proving even more deadly when combined with a thick layer of frost.

As the bones fall and the dust settles, Zelra arrives bearing her warning.

OOC: Combatants have each earned 41 XP for defeating the skeletons.

Arnald looks around at the others, relieved to see everyone is ok and feeling guilty for causing the near catastrophe. But his pride won't allow him to apologize.

"Perhaps monarchy isn't the best system of government after all." he says with a nervous grin.

"What the- I said stay away from the skeletons, urgh who cares. There are 4 MORE undead skeletons on the third floor and they look a lot tougher than these guys here." Zelra kicks one of the skeleton's bone out of the way. "Don't know of they followed me up here or not."

"Hard to avoid them here it seems," answered Ola with sigh, coming closer to the staircase to meet the Zelra's pursuers.

"If they are following you up the stairs," Sylyra says calmly to Zelra, "or even if they congregate at the bottom waiting, stand back and allow me to send an ice knife at them. The shards explode on impact, so it will hurt more than one of the fowl creatures if they are close to each other, and any of you if you are close to them."

Uragum smiles at Sylra and says, "You took the thought right out of my head.  What's better than one ice knife?  Two.  I suggest we both toss one, if they are grouped that is."  

Sylyra looks at the goliath with his stony gaze for a heartbeat before nodding once in acceptance of the plan.

Without a word Ola stepped back, clearing the path to the stairs for both magic users.

Sylyra and Uragum take the lead, descending the spiraling passage cautiously and waiting for a mass of undead to launch their volley. However, no undead approach before the passage opens up into another chamber.

This chamber has been set up as a small laboratory. Tables around the room are covered with beakers, vials, tomes, cauldrons, and pots full of alchemical agents. In the middle of the central table is a note next to a blue clay pot.

The spiral passage continues through this room, descending further.

Disappointed there there are no foes here, he frowns as he looks about the room.  His eyes fall upon the table but before he ventures further he puts his hands up near his face, makes a few gestures and whispers, "There are no foes here, it is safe to come down."  The whispered message then travels it ways up to Zelra.  Uragum makes his way around the room, careful not to touch the equipment but observing any labeling of the ingredients.  

"Oh phew. They didn't follow me up I guess... just be careful in this room and don't touch the blue pot or cauldron. Something about a bad thing happening according to that note, or at least something will happen and it will most likely be bad. The undead are in the next room, by the way. They woke up when I got too close, I think." 

Ola, that followed the crowd downstairs, sighed - it was only the matter of time before someone touches something dangerous in here. In case Sylyra and  Uragum  still intended to "knife" undead with their spell, she was waiting behind.

Seeing the tomes Ruik goes and looks at them to see what they are about.  He'll also read the note by the cauldron but won't touch anything.