While the three of you hop into the northeast woodpile nearest the altar, Pythios motions to Dampe to keep looking for a switch as he crouches next to the door, his broadsword drawn. Dampe approaches the altar to the north, slowly moving his hands along the its surface.
The door swings open and in walks a nasty-looking (and kind of scruffy) adventurer. The adventurer is clad in robes from head to toe, looking back to converse with someone else, and he never sees Pythios's broadsword run him through.
(2)
But with his dying breath, the nasty-looking (and kind of scruffy) adventurer manages to warn his companions.
"Gaaaaaaaak!"
"Lup, are you alright?"
"He's dead!"
Pythos pulls his blade out of the dead adventurer's body and steps back into the center of the chapel. The rest of the robed, nasty-looking (and kind of scruffy) adventurers, six in total, storm into the chapel and take up positions along the south wall, flanked by Vilkas Vārcolac, (also clad in a hooded robe) who carefully steps over the body of his fallen comrade.
"Ah, old Pythios. What a surprise. And you brought friends, too! I hope they'll be tastier than that goblin. He probably hadn't had a bath in ages."
Pythios makes a noise under his breath that could only be described as a growl.
Behind the altar, Dampe is still searching for a switch.
Vārcolac takes a step forward, as Pythios takes a step back to the north.
"The full moon is rising," one of the nasty-looking (and kind of scruffy) adventurers says to Vārcolac. "Would it be wise, sir?"
Vilkas just smiles.
As Vilkas steps forward, he removes his hood, and in the light of the moon, his shape begins to change, sprouting more hair on his face and growing taller. A lycanthrope! Soon the transformation is complete, and Vārcolac now stands seven and a half feet tall, and his appearance is now more wolf than man.
Pythios shouts back towards your party.
"Go! Find the hero's tomb, it may have something that could help you! I'll hold these bastards off for as long as I can!"
Vilkas just smiles a big, toothy werewolf grin.
"Sacrificing yourself for the others? How noble." With that, he leaps at Pythios.
(1)
Caught off guard, Pythios has barely begun to bring his broadsword up to protect himself when Varcolac's fangs sink into his neck. Ripping out a huge chunk of Pythios's throat, Vilkas moves away and watches as Pythios makes a half-step backwards to the north before falling over, dead.
"Well, shit." Dampe says.
Vilkas sniffs at the air right before looking directly at your hiding place.
"The three of you hiding under that woodpile may come out now. Yes, I can smell you."
Realizing your cover has been blown, you step out from the woodpile and stand next to the altar.
"Oh," Vilkas says, as he stares at Plor. "It's you."
"I've found the switch. Get ready to run." Dampe whispers.
"Gotcha. Everybody look away." Plor replies.
Realizing what's about to happen, your party averts their eyes, Dampe flips the switch, and Plor casts a blinding spell of light directly onto Vilkas's eyeballs. (Again.)
A spiral staircase leading down is revealed behind the altar, and your party takes off running down the stairs.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! FUCK! HE DID IT AGAIN! AFTER THEM! I WANT THE WIZARD ALIVE! SLAY THE REST! GO!" You can hear Varcolac screaming more obscenities as you dash down the stairs, followed by pounding footfalls and howls.
As you reach the bottom of the staircase, you find yourselves in a dimly lit room, with the bones of countless humans stacked high against the walls. Passageways branch off in every direction, like spokes on a wheel.