I had to post this because it was SO FREAKING funny.
My PCs where screwing around with the lever on the sarcophagus when it clicked into the third position. So when the alcove self-destructed all five PCs were standing around the sarcophagus staring and wondering what the hell happened. When the ungodly geyser of beetles erupted from the floor every single one of them ran, except one. She was the one that was manipulating the lever.
She (Nadia) tried one more time to try and reverse the “beetle affect”. Heehee. She failed her DC and then RAN to follow the others hauling tail out of the room. She was the second to last to exit the room and the only one with the torch. The half-orc that ran out first was the only other with darkvision. Anyway, the PC in front of Nadia was running so fast down the stairs he failed a DC 10 balance check (and so did Nadia) so the first one out tripped and fell down the stairs and then Nadia tripped over him and fell prone. Laughter.
As the beetles caught right up to them then both jumped up and ran. As Nadia passed the torch, she tried to pick it up, on the run and failed. Not only did she fail, but she rolled a 1. There was more laughter when I told her that she would have to roll another balance check to see if she goes prone again.
Unbeknownst to all the party members, they were being followed by a sorcerer who was standing just outside the cobwebs against the wall. All she saw were 3 PCs flying by in the dark screaming holy hell and then followed quickly thereafter by a torch going skittering across the floor. 6 seconds later another PC ran by, then another that attempted to pick up the torch and failed. I gave her a 50/50 chance to following the fleeing characters (and she failed). <foreboding laughter> So as she stuck her head around the corner to see what the hell that was all about, the wave of black mass engulfed her. <the visual caused one of our players to almost piss her pants> She proceeded to dose herself with oil and ignite herself. This stunt, took 2 turns which ended up taking her down 1 hitpoint due to beetle damage (she made one poison save and she had protection from fire).
So the rest of the party catapulted out of the entrance of the cairn only to hear gut wrenching screams behind them. They instantly did a party count and found everyone accounted for. <more laughter> Then down the tunnel, they see a flash of light followed by a figure coming running down the tunnel all ablaze. <more pee breaks> The archer drew his bow and narrowed in on the humanoid fire ball. The sorcerer was trying to yell to the party but nobody could hear what she was saying (they all failed their listen checks). More laughter (except for the sorc’s PC).
The archer asked the rest of the scared s*#+less party members for guidance and they all said to plug the hellspawn. So two arrows went true, right into the chest of the sorcerer. Ironically, the sorcerer had decided to take the armor check penalties of 15% and don leather armor with a buckler. (This decision saved her hide because both arrows missed by 2) The flames only lasted for 3 rounds so she ran by the PCs as she exited the cairn, dropped to the ground and surprised the PCs with a new party member in dire need of healing (but having rid them of the beetle menace).