A bit of digging around reveals a couple of things. There are shreds of moldering cloth on the skeleton that look like they might once have been robes of some sort, the hilt of a sword is nearby (along with a linear pile of rust flakes that probably is what's left of the blade), there's no sign of flesh on the bones, and under the skeleton is a brass key, green with verdigris.
While the party is searching the area, Eva is the first to venture into the western end of the hall. (This is the part of the room that Kali couldn't see from the door...and Kragnor didn't roll well enough to detect anything either.) The monk doesn't notice the hairline gap around the trap door, but her superior reflexes allow her to jump to safety when the floor gives way under her. The moon spider in the pit stays in its niche, although everyone can hear something moving down there.
Dice rolls:
Random chance, high is good:1d100 ⇒ 23 Fickle Finger of Fate, alphabetical order:1d6 ⇒ 2 DC 20 Perception check:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 DC 20 Reflex save:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Senja, some of your monster-identifying skills are only +5 or +6. However, taking 10 still gives you some further information. First, the skeleton is indeed that of a human. Second, the lack of flesh on the bones, particularly when some of the clothing survived, suggests to you that it was defleshed before the ceiling came down on it.
Despite it being clear Kragnor's examination of the door is quite thorough, Kali's agitation leads her assist in the search, "Let me help you check that out, Kragnor."
How did you know the trap was DC 30 to detect, Kali?
Seriously, though....
The door opens without incident. This room, unlike all of the others you have seen in the Cellars, lacks even a trace of the otherwise-omnipresent luminescent moss. There are two clusters of four stone caskets each. Between the two groups, in the center of the room, stands an empty, unlit iron brazier. The usual banners of dust-covered spiderwebs hang from the ceiling, wafting gently back and forth in the breeze of your passing and casting odd shadows on the walls. There is nothing else moving in the room.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
"Okay, even I think this place is creepy, and I wrap people in shadow and blight them with bad luck," Senja comments. "I guess we should check out those caskets, but just saying those words make me hesitate."
He raises a hand and scans for the presence of magic in the room.
Eva, the brazier is covered with soot and dust, and smells like old smoke. As you approach it, a chill breeze comes up. Its intensity increases rapidly until it is literally howling through the room...although the spiderwebs are untouched by it. The room seems to darken, and in the sudden gloom scores of small spectral eyeballs appear, blowing like thistledown on the wind. They peer intensely at you before fading away as the wind dies down and the light returns.
Senja, given the lack of interaction with inanimate objects in the room, this was probably some sort of programmed illusion. The brazier did not show any signs of a magical aura, incidentally.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Senja explains his conclusions to his fellow Pathfinders, then says, "I think the rest of us need to step into the room and sort out what's going on here. This seems like it was more of a trick than a threat."
Kali moves into the room for a closer look, "I might be the only one, but I kind of want to light the brazier and see what happens. We are supposed to explore, right? Otherwise, let's just check out that casket and move on."
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
"Or check out all the caskets," suggests Senja. "Only one has magic in or on it, but who knows what's in the others? Treasures beyond our wildest imaginings! Or, more likely, a bunch more spiders."
He moves into the room with Kali, uncharacteristically not entering last. "Let's start with the one with magic. How about you take a look for traps, and then we'll open it real carefully? Though it might be better if someone else helped you open it, I'll probably just make it harder."
There are no traps on the coffin lid. On opening it, you see a pile of bones and a horn. The bones, though, immediately begin to move, snapping together into a reasonably intact skeleton, which rises from its resting place. At the same time, you hear similar sounds from many of the other caskets.
Round 1:
Initiative order
Skeletons-acted
Kali
Senja
Kragnor
Asvald
Eva
Melody
Before any of you have time to react, five other caskets are opened from the inside, and skeletons rise up from them. The one in the already-opened casket reaches out to Kali with clawed hands, one of which leaves a shallow slash on the kitsune. Take 3 HP, Kali.
Assuming skeletons are common undead and therefore are a Knowledge DC 10 or lower, I'm going to roll to identify to see if Kali knows to use bludgeoning weapons.
The ninja rolls through the skeleton's square to get to the west side of the creature, but forgets common undead tactics and attacks with her wakizashi. The error is moot as she misses anyway.
