Doc didn't know in his update, so I pinged you in case you missed it. :)

** TURN 5 **

Southern side tunnel:

29 - Og'rialt - Dwarf Brigand drills his companions on ambush tactics and battle stances drawing on his years of combat experience.
The others listen intently.
He listens to Kips suggestions and agrees to adjust his tactics accordingly.

The companions get into formation.

*Two ghouls come lumbering down the tunnel towards the group, their cold, dead eyes and slathering mouths betraying their hunger for the living. A door on the left can be seen just past the ghouls.*

15 - Says Beldarion - Human Warrior crouches ready as the ghouls approach.

22 - Kip - Halfling Brigand getting ready to fire his sling to illuminate the tunnel instead aims at the ghouls *rolls dice* the explosion staggers the undead, badly burning the left ghouls right leg causing it to lag behind the other ghoul.

5 - Dunward - Human Mage is to decide whether to launch a fireball at the ghouls or to revert to his silver dart wand, knowing that silver is very effective against undead.

35 - Aslain Melemir - Elven Thief instinctively fires at the nearest ghoul *rolls dice* the powerful bow blasts two holes in the ghouls chest. *rolls dice* The ghoul collapses to the ground but still drags itself towards the companions.

"That was very effective, my friends! As both ghouls are now incapable of moving swiftly, I say we slowly retreat backward at the same pace (or slightly faster) as they are moving forward, so we keep our distance, continuing to attack them with our ranged weapons until they're thoroughly dead. Unless the front ghoul is within melee range already, we should probably focus our attacks first on the ghoul with the bad leg, which should now be the faster of the two."

If on the other hand the ghouls are closer than I think, and/or we can't fight effectively with ranged weapons while moving backward, and/or I have to deal with a stubborn human warrior who has never heard of being prudent ;) I realize that Dunward's wand is probably the most effective weapon. That means that - much though I long for the glory of moving to the front and attacking personally - I will hold my place and make certain to stay out of Dunward's line of fire. If any ghoul moves close enough to the front that it's within range of my chain, I attack it with that (not expecting to do much damage, but hopefully providing a better opportunity for Beldarion to do so), and if the unimaginable happens, where a ghoul somehow manages to get past Beldarion, and close enough to attack with my axe, I'll do so.

Once both ghouls are thoroughly dead, I carefully search them for loot (making certain to avoid their claws and teeth), and then suggest we keep moving forward in formation until we reach the door up ahead, which should be examined for traps, and which I suggest Kip with his high perception and brigand experience should then listen at to try and ascertain what's behind it.

If we already get so far as to open the door this turn, we also look inside, while staying outside and giving Dunward a clear line of fire.

Argh ! I knew it was a coarse trap ! Take the goblet or the candles will either trigger a trap or deliver the things in the sarcophagi. Who knows what is entombed in them ? Maybe foes too powerful for us ?
My advice is to leave this room and continue elsewhere, but I guess no one will follow it !

Edit : typos.

Thanks!

Hmm. Take the goblet or light the candles and find out what happens? Maybe MaxFulvus is right and curiosity will kill the dwarf. Let's find out... I'll light the candles first and then, only if nothing special happens, I'll take the goblet.

I'll leave the sarcophagi unopened for now. There are surely some undead inside.

Someone has the +2 Dagger Against Undead, which also can help in case the ghouls get too close. I aim another arrow to the walking Ghoul, the one on the floor maybe can have his head crushed with a shield. I would advise to save the fireballs... I don't think to "badly wounded" or "almost dead" Ghouls are worth it.

If we manage to kill and not end up somehow all dieing to wounded Ghouls, I agree about looting the corpses and checking the door for traps, listening and if it seems safe, we open it (with some fireballs ready before we enter, I'll say).

I'll call my giant spider to me and wait for someone to join me in moving further down the tunnel before I face the cackling.

Roark, Elven Druid

2 sarcophagi, 2 candles!!!

It is most likely that lighting a candle will release whatever it is from the corresponding sarcophagus. If you must light the candles, please do so one at a time and wait for a bit after you light the first one. I, along with most others in the room I assume, don't want to be assaulted from 2 sides at once. Some caution is called for here.

Curiosity might kill the dwarf but recklessness surely will. You already have one friendly casualty on your hands. No need to risk adding to that.

We have 3 paladins and a cleric. Never wise to second-guess the Gods (or the DM), but I'm skeptical that something of greater power than a vampire or wight would be constrained by a simple stone sarcophagus. Ghosts would be incorporeal and could pass, a lich would possess sufficient power to free itself.

But I agree with the suggestion that 1 candle at a time is ...probably...the safer course in case it is a lich or such that needs to be killed surely before it can act.

It could be anything. My guess is that it's just dormant as long as the candles are not lit.

22 - Kip - Halfling Brigand - Southern side tunnel

Kip agrees with Og'rialt and Aslain.

If he can do so safely (without risk of catching his allies in the fireball) Kip will launch another slingstone at the ghouls. Otherwise, he will switch to his spear and attack from the second rank if they get within range.

I thought it was too obvious so I didn't mention it at first, but I strongly assume that because the candles and the goblet are attached by hooks to the altar, that if you move the candle/goblet, they will open the sarcophagi. Now, logically the candle on the right should open the right one and vice versa, but I'm unsure why is the goblet attached as well - perhaps it reveals a hird object/location of interest?

Perhaps we could try moving one candle, and seeing what happens, before we destroy the altar? After all, people wouldn't normally try to move candles, so it seems more like a bonus we've discovered. And with the holy relic Kyp is holding we should stand a good chance of defeating whatever's inside.
Wait a minute, let us at least retrieve whatever is inside the goblet and try to have a go at those candles, if you're not interested, you can come back later and melt it! Why don't you save the spell slot for later?

Also since the hooks activate whatever mechanism is inside it, it's very likely that melting the altar will actually cause the mechanism to be activated and open those sarcophagi.