Bob-wolf gives first Gimble and then Gillain as incredulous a look as a wolf could give, a sort of canid eyeroll. One assumed he was simply a friendly animal companion and the other failed to explain that he was, in fact, a bearded, rather portly dwarf. To explain would mean giving up the form that fueled his sudden need for courage, so he stayed put, tail softly wagging to indicate that he meant the stranger no harm.

Gimble:

"Indeed, I was just in the Blood of the Vine tavern and I heard you were in here.  I was told you may be in trouble due to the ghosts and all, but it seems you are...mostly...okay, I guess?" responds the smiling gnome.  "We should keep looking, though.  Where are you headed next?  I am pretty decent at searching for things."

Just as Gimble asks his questions The party hears footfalls from the passage along the north wall of the room. The footfalls are loud at first and seem as though someone is approaching the room. The sound comes just short of entering the room the party is standing in. 

The party looks but, no one is there. 

Gillain starts, “Well, we were headed deeper in. This way....”, indicating the way they were headed before Gimble approached from behind. And then she freezes, “Shhh!.... What’s that?..”, she whispers to the party, meaning the footsteps, but then they stop. She raises her shield again, big scared eyes looking over the top.

Quote from Scott_R_Simmons >>

Gimble:

Coming down the tunnel is a small figure holding a tiny clockwork device that sheds light from a single, small flame.  Wearing simple clothes in green and brown earth tones, the gnome's dark brown hair and light brown eyes are unremarkable, and his other features would likewise allow him to slip unnoticed in many a crowd. He carries few weapons, though a sturdy blade and a serviceable crossbow are never out of reach. Wearing no armor, there is no obvious clue to his profession, but the more perceptive observer may see the corner of a fancy book or the telltale bulge of a toolkit or three among his possessions.

"You must be the newcomers the Burgermeister's son was talking about.  Are you okay?  Have you run into the ghosts, Rosa and Thron?" he asks in a pleasant voice.  "I'm Gimble, by the way," he adds quickly, "and I am a newcomer to this depressing land as well."

Quote from Scott_R_Simmons >>

Gimble:

"Indeed," replies Gimble, looking dubious.  "What about the rest of you?  Are you okay, or is someone else carrying an extra ghostly stowaway?  And have you found the source of these strange noises?  I am concerned that there is more danger here than a pair of phantoms," he adds, looking at the other newcomers.

 Gimble sees a woman in a blue cloak and black gloves. She wears a mask made of porcelain. With a slight stance she watches at Gillain and Gimble exchange words. “I am fine... but my friend here seems a bit skittish.”  When Gimble mentions the Tavern Tio will tilt her head “Hmmm strange. Well the best course of action is to work together.  I am Tio, the wolf is named Bob who’s a Druid.” Tio will slightly bow, she will move towards the sound. “Let us begin...” 

Tio will keep her guard up as they move towards the north wall.

Perception: 8

Gimble:

Gimble follows along carefully, his hands poised to cast magic should some unnatural horror rear its ugly visage...

Bob-wolf bobs his shaggy head in an animal mockery of a nod at Tio's words before trotting along to the front of the group to lead the way, sniffing and keeping his ears perked up to hear any more strange noises as he starts to walk down the north passage.

Perception: 19

Gillain tries to stick with Tio for now and follow Bob-wolf. She tries to hold Tio’s hand again if she’ll let her.

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1uXHB68xWTOu2O74PBct7cJ7aqBUNQzYRxOEc6Wm2E1c/edit

The dark earthen hallway the party follows travels only 10 ft. then turns to the west with a set of steps leading down. The sweet hall continues another 5 ft. then opens up into a dark room. The smells of earth and old water permeate the stale air in this room. 

The room is 20 ft. by 20 ft. There is a collection of debris in various spots on the floor of the room. In the middle of the room appears to be a well with a bucket on a rope suspended above the well attached to the crossbeam. 

The entrance to 5 side rooms along the east, north, and west walls of this room can be seen. As the party looks around they find a wooden frame bed with a moldy straw mattress in each room. There is a medium-sized wooden chest in each room. Cobwebs cover both the beds and chests in the rooms. 

There appears to be an exit in the southeast corner of this room. 

The air is still filled with the faint chanting that echoes throughout the passageways. 

Gimble:

Carefully searching the rooms, Gimble tries to turn up any useful clues.

Investigation:  21

Gillain will follow Gimble into the room and look around. “Wow,  there are a lot of empty beds, almost like barracks, or dormitories? But no signs of people.... ..You think everyone is away chanting?!... .. Maybe let’s look around quickly, before anyone gets back...”. She will gingerly try to lift the lids on the chests one at a time (moving clockwise around the rooms), using just the tip of her spear, from as far away as she can...

“You said the burgomaster mentioned us being here right.  You mean Kolyan Indivovich right, we haven’t actually met with anyone beside The Count.” 

Bob pads over and starts checking the rooms and their chests counter-clockwise until she meets Gillain in the middle, using his nose and teeth if need be to open the chests and examine their contents.

Gillain attempts to lift the lids of one of the chests but finds it locked. After closer inspection the party finds all the chests to be locked. Bob-Wolf's attempt to open the chest is to no avail after finding them locked. 

Gimble takes his time to inspect the room. He finds little of interest, a piece of torn paper here and there, a dirty cloth, etc but finds nothing useful. 

The party suddenly hears water sloshing noises from the well. Each of you turns towards the well and find 3 Zombies climbing out of the well. They are dressed in tattered robes. In unison, they open their mouths and a sound akin to gurgling water and moaning comes out. 

Initiative

Zombies: 11

(And to think I was going to check the well first but changed my mind haha)

Bob immediately begins growling, back arching, fur standing on end. This was the source of the ungodly rotting smell permeating the dungeon, as unnatural as they were revolting.

Initiative: 19

Gimble:

"Well, Tio, I am not entirely sure of names, but the man in the tavern said he was the Burgermeister's son and that there was a reward for investigating this house.  As you were already here, I didn't spend much time getting details in case you were in trouble, so I didn't get his name or the..." starts Gimble as he responds to the question while he looks around.  Stopping abruptly as he hears sloshing noises from the well, he turns and sees the zombies arriving.  "Beware, we are under attack!" he says instead of finishing his other thought, and prepares for battle!

Initiative:  9

Initiative: 22

Gillian frowns as she tries each chest in turn. “Locked...”, she says to Bob-wolf, about half way round. And then asks him about the chests he was checking too, “Locked?... Hmmm...”.

Just then, commotion erupts behind her, as things start climbing out of the well...

Gillain’s initiative: 13 

Initiative sequence:

Toi: 22
Bob: 19
Dmitri: 18 (NPC)
Gillain: 13
Zombies: 11
Gimble: 9

DM: Everyone please post your actions, attack & damage rolls and I will sort them out and post in sequence.

Dmitri: 18

Gimble:

Hopping on top of the chest he was examining, Gimble pulls out his crossbow and fires a shot at the shambling creatures, belatedly trying to identify the undead creatures coming out of the well.

Light Crossbow Attack:  Attack: 26 Damage: 18

Religion Roll/Water-Logged Zombies:  13