Talion nods to Erven and Sho, "Yes, moving carefully, and checking the other exit. Good plan."

Bertolt keeps with the rest, doing his best to remain quiet as they go forth, doing his best to not make to much noise.

Stealth: 10

Watching everyone else behaving more or less normally -- even the dog -- Talion allows himself a small sigh of relief, and the habitual smile returns to his face. The gang's back together! He looks around at his companions, noting that they are not all in the best of health, but they have made it this far -- perhaps further than anyone else. He nods in satisfaction, and his smile broadens. Noting that they all seem to be trying to make as little noise as possible, he too does his best to be quiet, while keeping a wary eye in front.

Stealth: 18
Perception: 21 (passive 14)

Sho narrows his eyes and follows the group. He crosses his arms and braces the arm wearing the shield. He does miss his old shield, but it will have to do.

"It might be worth," he starts, "to come up with a safeword. In the case of possession, hypnotism, or doppelganger." He watches his step, as the rest of the group seems suddenly keen on. "Though I don't know how much it would have helped."

Stealth: 4 

Perception: 14 

Talion looks down at the dog, "Lucky Bear" he says, his disembodied voice seeming to emerge from the deep within the shadows. "Noone would know that name." Then he turns to the warrior. "Onyx, did...whatever it was...know what you knew?"

As you all near the intersection, the sound of the drumming and chanting grows extremely loud, and you can tell it comes from the lower levels, not this level you are currently on.  Sho and Onyx, now that you're closer to the stairs, you can make out some of the words - not all of them fully as they are still muffled - you recognize that they are chanted in abyssal: 

 Onyx and Bertolt pass the intersection and you see the ground break in a few places.  You watch in horror as dark grey limbs push up emaciated and rotted bodies to stand before you, snarling and hissing, hunger for living flesh evident in their raspy voices.  You spy pieces of tattered robes that still cling to their bodies, pressed against slowly leaking body juices.  You recognize the robes from other areas in the basement and surmise they are former cultists!   Lucky Bear whines and runs back past Talion.  Good dog.

Roll initiative!!!

 MAP - the ghouls are at F12 and H12, D12, E14

Talion initative: 22

(( @DM: Does Talion's stealth roll count in any way here? ))

Sho initative: 5 

Quote from Ereshion >>

Talion initative: 11

(( @DM: Does Talion's stealth roll count in any way here? ))

 Yes, your feet made nary a sound as you padded through the narrow tunnel.

You all recognize these as undead.  Erven you can make an intelligence check with advantage to recall knowledge about them.  Everyone else is a straight roll IF you'd like to know about them.

(( Talion likes knowing things (plain int roll): 18 ))

Intelligence: 13 

Sho - As a cleric, you and all your brethren know these types of things can be turned by using the divine power given to you by your god; you also recall that these disgusting things are immune to poison.

Talion - You know these things are immune to poison and cannot be charmed.  You also remember stories about bad things happening when one is bitten or scratched by one. 

 @DM: Does Talion know that priests can turn undead?

Quote from Ereshion >>

 @DM: Does Talion know that priests can turn undead?

 I think it would be general knowledge that priests and undead are kind of opposites but Talion wouldn't know the specifics, i.e. "Onyx, Sho, use turn undead."   Unless they've told you or you've seen it used before.

Erven readies his rapier and shield as they appear close to us.  

Erven initiative : 13

Erven's favored enemy is the undead, he tries to recall information about this particular creature :  19

Onyx Initiative: 17

Bertolt Inititiative: 13

Initiative order:  (the ghoul numbers go top to bottom, i.e. northernmost one is G1 and so on).

1.  G2, Onyx, 
2.  G4, Bertolt, Erven, Talion
3.  G1, G3, 
4.  Sho

G2 is sandwiched in between Bert and Onyx.  Feeling an odious smell coming off the paladin, the ghoul will lunge and swipe at Onyx's neck:  Attack: 23 Damage: 10 slashing damage.      IF this hits, make a DC10 CON save.  If you fail, you're paralyzed for 1 minute...

Onyx, you're up!

Onyx Constitution Save: 10

Onyx stifles a cry of pain as the paralytic fangs clamp down near his collarbone.  Struggling, he pulls his shield up, shoving the ghoul off of him and following up with a desperate thrust of his longsword.

Attack: 24 Damage: 7