Its all in the Cards.

Briar wastes no time in following the lead of her taller companions. She sprints for the door, carefully weaving through the legs of the figure at the gate.

With one hand on the lever, she pulls her sword out, swinging at the spectral being beside her. With any luck, she thinks, she’ll hold its attention while her friends dash by.

Ashtar's blast flies over the flying cultist's head, missing its target. Briar darts and dodges between the undead, slipping through the gate with agile precision. Eye of the Storm and his feline companion, Darkcloud, brace themselves for the impending attacks.

Alyria locks her arm in place to keep the gate open, swinging her sword with the other. The blade slices through a cultist, but it remains standing, its void-like face unflinching. Couth tries to slam his hammer into the fray but is caught off guard.

Suddenly, two slimy tentacles shoot out from the mound of undead flesh. They wrap around Couth, squeezing him tightly. You watch in horror as Couth loses consciousness and is dragged into the monstrous maw, disappearing into the gruesome mass.

The undead cultists fly around the room erratically, surrounding the party. The floor, walls, and ceiling of the basement dungeon begin to shake and crumble. It seems like the entire dungeon—and possibly the house above—is starting to collapse on top of them. The air is thick with dust and the sound of falling debris as the party faces imminent peril.

Completely surrounded by skeletons, and the way out blocked, Ashtar had no choice but to try and blast his way out.

Turning and realizing no one else made it through the gate, Briar shrieks at her companions "I thought we were going!" Her tone is not accusatory or frustrated with them, but is indicative of feeling like a useless coward having made an escape while the others remained behind. She pulls her crossbow and fires at the creature blocking the gate in hopes of being able to support the clearing of a pathway for her friends.