Rrrrrgh. 

Lucette will retreat from their glaives--are they going to go running down those stairs also--

They're certainly going to try to! Right up to the point where, at the bottom of the stairs, they meet the people going the other way, who will incidentally encourage them to stand and fight by promising to kill them if they don't.

The new arrivals include two more cultists with glaives - one of those a cleric who casts bless when they all collide in the passage - two with crossbows, two cambions with scimitars and longbows, and three neathers who match some of the descriptions given by the librarian.

The neathers are unarmed, which doesn't stop them from charging at the nearest party-member with cries such as "I'll eat your flesh!" and "Rrraaaagh!" They'd make a creditable impression of raging barbarians, except they don't seem to know how to use their fists and claws.

Okay but is there a door she can slam shut in between Group 1 running down the stairs and Group 2 chivvying them back up. 

Yes! She's going to have some trouble holding it shut against the people now pushing on it from the other side, but Seelah rushes to help her while the archers take down the raging cultist.

"What's the plan? Open the door once we're in position?"

"Can you please let us shoot them this time and not fight just past a doorway?"

"Yeah. Position the archers, open the door, have the other guys dead first." 

Have lots of dead other guys! She made sure!

Alright, so, they're going to give the cultists some space to come out into, but then hold a line to stop them from going around and at the archers.

"On the count of three -"

"--One, two, three."

As the door bursts open, the three mongrels rush out and fall on Lucette, Seelah and Camellia. They can barely deal any damage, but they will try to tackle and grapple and bite them with great zeal and the occasional "Rrrrargh your sweet sweet meat!!"

(Those guys were really raring to go! What were going to do, tell them no, don't be our meat shields?)

"Ugh!" Stab stab stab.

"Don't kill him!!" Lann rushes in to pull Camellia off the mongrel, because even after a few hours' acquiantance it's clear to him she's not going to stop on her own.

The cleric comes out next. Have yourselves a negative energy channel, crusaders!

And now the rest of them can come out.

Lucette alternates between singing and biting back. And she has plenty of bite. She's not trying to kill the guy, but turnabout seems like fair play. 

Somehow the last notes of her singing never seem to fade before she resumes. 

That's alright, they can have their little bite-fest in peace! The important thing is keeping the enemy's melee fighters busy so they can take out the archers first.

The one who tried to bite Camellia (emphasis on tried) is now down, courtesy of her rapier and the channel. She leaves him to Lann and goes to block one of the other cultists trying to get to the archers.

Seelah would also like to do that but, actually, a half-naked feathered woman grappling you is a big impediment to swording someone else!

She settles for hitting her over the head with her pommel and hoping it will eventually knock her out without actually killing her.

He can run away as fast as they run towards him but only if he's not shooting, and anyway it would take him back through the other door and he doesn't want to split the party. On the other hand, he can't really fight in melee, not even against glaives; all he has is a dagger.

As a much more experienced adventurer, Anevia does have a backup sword she knows how to use and can hold the door against them while Lann and Wenduag try to shoot past her.

Even with her superior abilities at dodging, though, she can't last forever against four cultists!

No worries, that's what Camellia is for, stabbing the right people in the back! She is helpful, is she not?

The two cambions will shoot whoever looks softest with their longbows! Seelah obviously isn't it; they waste a turn on Lucette's natural armor before attacking Camellia, who is ripe for a shooting-in-the-back herself.

Ugh, this battle is really turning chaotic - 

Moving away from the guys with glaives just gives them the advantage, unless she moves all the way away. On the other hand, she's not feeling up to attacking two cambions by herself.

Camellia dithers in indecision, drinks a healing potion (looted off the previous set of cultists), and finally bolts towards Lucette. If she can just get the stupid mongrel off of her, she'll be able to turn this around.

(This means more judicious stabbing, to be clear, because whatever Lann may think, hitting someone on the head with a rapier's hilt or the side of its blade makes about as much of an impression as you'd expect.)

Lucette gets some stabbing in of her own, because okay, the bite-off was not the best idea she's ever had, and then she and Camellia can go after the cambions.