6 - Entering the Barrowfields

Date
The 25th of Reaping, the Suns day

Players
Karen - Fighter - Level 3
Melark - Magic User - Level 2
Father Ardic - Cleric - level 1

Hirelings
(all played by PC's)
Werdic the heavy footman (third expedition), last survivor of a murder spree in his monastery.
The Broken Shield - Mercenary company of (now) 4 heavy footmen with special tactics: Wade , Louis,, Templeton, Hanibal
Ratik the Bowman
Og the Torchbearer, last survivor of a previous expedition
Vog the Torchbearer, a stable boy
Adventure Log
Another glorious morning waking at the Singing Swan! Melark was in fine health after another dinner club meeting of the wizards guild. This time Drez served week old fermented oysters marinated in fresh lizard bile, but there was no tummy trouble for Melark! Karen spoke to Cragly, the innkeeper, about buying a house. He was loathe to discuss money but suggested he knew someone who could help her ... while strongly implying that the group use the backdoor of the inn when they came in all bloody from a days work. What line of import/export were they in again? Oh, medical supplies? That explains all the blood they are routinely covered in. Off to the Heffer to pick up "goons", as Melark to eloquently, but accurately, put it.

The Broken shield was there, waiting, as was Werdic. The Shield was done to four, Oscar no where in sight. The Shield was also putting on a brave front, down to four from their original six. Ratik the Bowman was hired, as were Og and Vog (no relation) as bearers and torchholders. Og was older, and was the last survivor of a massacre down below. Vog was a former stable boy wearing a big holy symbol of Father Ardics church. He had been sent in to the world on a mission of personal redemption, in order to become a good boy. Father Ardic volunteered to teach him. And ... the game moved on just a couple of beats too slow to prevent that line. :)

They debated where to go. The Bleakmarsh was paying better than the Prison of the Silken Caliphate, and they did better against the Dino Riders than they thought, it not being a total TPK. In the end they tried to decide between The Black Maw (the sight where the suns first rays of light first touched the earth, or so the rumors said) or the Barrowfields, which was full of mutants, again according to the rumors. They decided on the mutants and set off after buying a cart and some mules to haul the extra loot they were sure to get. (With a pointed comment from Father Ardic about him paying for it when the others had fuck tons of cash and he didn't. Oh, the cluelessnessof the wealthy ...)

There was a mist today, as they left Kryshal. They traveled a couple of hours, coming upon a marsh. The mist burst off just a bit, enough to reveal a swath of land, higher than the marsh and mostly dry. A thousand feet wide and several thousand feet long. And dotted with barrows and standing stones. The Barrowfields.

They followed a trodden path leading up to a large barrow, only a couple of hundred feet away, passing between two barrows, one to either side, only about fifty feet away from them. The large barrow was surrounded by standing stones. It's stone slab sealing stone has been pulled down and was laying cracked in front of it. Bones of animals and people littered the area. A strong stench came out of the darkness. The sickly sweet smell of death and dust. A large black basilisk stood nearby, with a large animal skull on top, covered in runic writing.  No one could read the runes but Melark and Father Ardic both recognized the runes for DEATH from their training. A bad feeling came over them, and decided NOT to tie up the cart and mule to it. Instead they left Radic and Og to watch them as they entered the main barrow.

Short steps led down to a vaulted room supported by giant stonehenge rocks. Bones littered the chamber. There was hole in the middle of the floor. Black, with a rusty metal tripod over it and an old rope attached. Bootprints and other unidentifiable footprints were in the dust. Dropping a torch down the hole they say a large vaulted chamber thirty feet below, with some rubble and some frescoes on the walls. Down they went in to the hole, Karen first, after putting up a new rope.

Below the room had a hallway to the east and a collapsed wall to the west. The frescoes shows scenes of villagers buying their dead. Nothing too freaky. Except for the graffiti. "CANNOT GET OUT"

They headed east, finding a hallway with many doors and side hallways running from it. They took their first option, a hallway to the north, ending in a door. Searching it, they found that the lintel was weird, not attached right. Being very cautious they opened the door to an empty room. Malark headed in, wary, after they first spiked up the lintel on both sides, making a lot of noise in the process. Stepping in the far door opened while the lintel began to fall, a stone slab to seal off Melark in the room! The first spike flew out as Melark dashed back in to the hallway, as the second spike failed and the stone slab came down. Melark didn't see, but the others did, a hoard of skeletons coming through the far door.

Checking the first door to the south, they entered an empty and silent room, the whole complex being as quiet as a grave, except for their own iron spikes. They scouted through a door on the other side, it led to a large room and a corridor. Retreating back they tried the next door, hearing squeeking coming from the room. Inside they found more rubble and some HUGE rats foraging. And a leather bag in the middle of the room. Ignoring the door on the other side of the door, surmising it led to the same corridor they had just scouted, Father Ardic through a bag of grain he carries for just such purposes. It landed in the far corner and was swarmed by the rats. While distracted they hooked the bag with their Amazing New Hook Ended Ten Foot Pole! Buy One Now! And then slammed the door shut, not so content with their 123 sp haul from the bag.

Another door presented a room with a dusty but sturdy table on the back wall. It had three polished skulls on it, not dusty at all. Melark collected them, and comments were made about the decoration style of the forthcoming house to be purchased, and Melarks role in in ...

Turning to the next possability, a hallway that ran north, they found it turned and had three doors along the north wall .. .the last one splintered open. There was an area to the south cut off by a down portcullis that was empty ... and the hallway dead ended in a bricked up doorway. Going through the first door they found a burial chamber with three alcoves in it, full of old dusty bones. The second was much the same except the bones were intact and in burial shrouds. When Karen stepped in to search A GIANT TARANTELLA dropped from the ceiling on her! And landed on the floor, missing her. The group rushed in to help but Hannibal had his stomach ripped open by the tarantella in one hit! The rest of the group quickly dispatched the giant spider and, searching the room, found nothing.

They moved on the third door, Karen taking a wide path around to ensure nothing could leap out. Inside by torchlight she saw another burial room, but the back alcove had its bones pulled out. And as she watched a ghostly form appeared. An old woman, with a long pale face a distinct top and and indistinct bottom floated towards her, arm outreached! Father Ardic thought quickly and doused it in holy water, causing it to disappear. They respectfully put the bones back and said a few words of prayer.

Tacking the bricked up doorway next, they took (noisily) a hammer to it and removed a brick. Looting inside they saw hundred of burial niches, each with bones in them. And the glint of coins! And the darkness inside? It started flowing out the brick hole! Karen attacked the darkness with the sword Illuminator! It caused it to freeze and fall to the floor, a dark outline of a person. Father Ardic quickly put the brick back in, shadow stuff flowing around it! He sealed it back up with some of the candles he carried! They dispatched the shadow creature on the floor with Illuminator. They turned to the portcullis.

The room beyond was empty, what they could see of it. Ardic raised the portcullis and they, again, loudly spiked it open. Searching they found a secret door! Beyond was another room full of burial niches with bones in them. Hundreds! And the glint of coins in them! And six, pale figures facing the corner of the room. They turned, and advanced on the party! Oil was deployed and Father Ardic commanded them to lay back down to the graves they deserved, but they continued forward! Now on fire! But the parties superior tactics won out, luring them in through the doorway choke-point. They spent an hour searching each of the burial niches inside, stealing their funeral coins, theorizing they had already paid for Charon's passing. 

Returning to the first hallway they found a section of wall that had been broken down, a room beyond. But, something from INSIDE the room had broken OUT of the room. [Ominous musical tones.] They continued to the door at the end of the hallway. Entering the large room they saw a hallway leading out, to the north, and heard a tap-tap-tap'ing coming from somewhere, indistinctly. Going north the passed one hallway to turn and go through a door in to an empty, partially collapsed room. Heading out down the only way, they came to a large room with black pillars running down either side. A hallway on the other side led out, and in front of the hallway was a rubble pile. And the glint of coins mixed in to it! And ... other things? Like owl pellets? As Karen investigated, poking around the pile at the copper pieces, she saw a small leather bag with something in it. AND A GIANT RATTLESNAKE DROPPED FROM THE CEILING! And it promptly broke it's fangs on the stone floor, missing Karen with a '1.' It was quickly dispatched. The pouch was full of gemstones! Finally finding a haul worth having they made their way out, and were moderately surprised (as was I) to find Radic and Og still alive! Making their way back to town they pointed to their empty wagon as proof they had nothing to declare to the gate guards, and tried to figure out what to do next.


Deaths & Loot
Hannibal - giant tarantella

A Giant Tarantella
A Ghost woman
A shadow creature
6 Zombies
A Giant Rattlesnake

128 sp
163 ep
94 sp
A silver bracelet (20 gp)
Gemstones worth 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 750 gp