Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

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drpete
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Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#1 Post by drpete »

Date: June 1, 8:00 am, Monday
Season: Early Summer
Weather: Warm
Moon phase: New Moon
Location: Town Square

The group assembles the next morning in the town square, ready to depart. Boldar is there, along with one of his friends from the night before. He asks you to give over his payment, 2 gp (one day there, one day back) to his friend for safe keeping.

He then asks if you are ready to go.

Just confirm for me that you are good to go. You can worry about language stuff if/when you survive, if you like.
Primarily, we need Carling's spell and alignment, I think, and finishing up from those who are still making characters :)

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#2 Post by Spearmint »

Carling

I have the spare gold so Carling will pay the party expenses and trust to take the 2gp back as we find it. I don't mind being party treasurer if you need one and keep track of what we find.

-2gp

"Great, thanks for coming guys. Let's look out for each other on the Moors. No one gets left behind eh!" Carling checks his pack, "Anyone got any medical stuff just in case?"

Could Boldar recommend a place to buy any healing balms or potions, anti-venoms before we set off?

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#3 Post by drpete »

Boldar points over to the church. "I'm sure they have that kind of thing, if you want it..."

The equipment in that vein that is readily available is:
Holy water: 25 gp
Healing Potion: 125 gp

In other words, that is a service likely outside your price range...

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#4 Post by Piper »

The subdued lighting of early morning coalesces into the form of Wick. The doughty hobbit steps from the shadows with nary a sound. Seeing the party is only just assembling, he crouches down and pulls a whetstone from his belt pouch. He is sharpening his dagger to razor keenness as the others arrive.
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#5 Post by leafcutter »

Up with the dawn, Theglid performs his daily prayers to St Ygg and focuses on the journey ahead. He meets his partners in the town square, happy to see that Boldar and his friend showed up.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#6 Post by Fingolwyn »

Lhainor surveys the group, particularly their equipment. "Does anyone have a shovel? We'll likely be digging if we expect to find a tomb yet unplundered."
Feed the Boy and he will become a Man. Feed the Man and he will become a God. Feed the God and you will become the food.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#7 Post by Spearmint »

Carling

certainly doesn't have the money yet to justify spending it all on blessed water and potions of health. As to equipment? what do we need, a wheelbarrow, sledgehammer and a couple of shovels? Who is going to lump it slowly over the Moors though. Still thinking ahead a barrow for the Barrow downs might be a good idea if we need to stretcher someone out of the place quickly or amazingly hit the motherlode. Carling will check on the above items at Turgen's store. He must have plenty of those about for those seasonal adventurers struck by 'gold fever'.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#8 Post by drpete »

Boldar's friend has brought a sack full of a few things you might need, though he doesn't have a wheelbarrow.

A shovel can be had for 3 gp, and encumbers like a sword... 2 items. He's got 2 shovels.
A wheelbarrow can be had for 5 gp from the store, if you want to get one. Boldar suggests that this will be hard to push through the swamp, but you can get one from the shop, if you like.
He also suggests iron spikes. These can be used with a sledgehammer to split a stone in a less brute force way than just hammering on the stone itself. He has a set of 12 iron spikes for 1 gp.
A sledgehammer can be had for 5 gp, and encumbers like a heavy weapon... 3 items. He's got 1 sledgehammer.

Boldar is willing to carry stuff for you, if you want to give him gear to hold. He's got a pack, food and a dagger.

video on rock splitting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzkeaKk2Kug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jat6-AhlTFk

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#9 Post by drpete »

Ok, it doesn't seem like people want to buy stuff? I'll make the following assumption, just to keep things moving... if you buy some extra gear, you don't increase your own encumbrance, though you can give a few things to Boldar to hold, if you want. I'll assume nobody buys a wheelbarrow. Chance to buy shovels or whatever extends to your next post, then we'll move on from that.

Date: June 1, 1:00 pm, Monday
Season: Early Summer
Weather: Warm, Misty
Moon phase: New Moon
Location: Barrow Moor

All assembled, Boldar checks that everyone is ready, then begins to lead you south, out of the village. You cut through fields, and wend your way between farms for about an hour before your path takes you out of the cultivated land and into a swamp. Here, you are forced to become more deliberate in your movement, and more careful. You find that the bugs are out in large numbers. The sounds of animal calls, birds, frogs and various others fill the air. As you walk, first your feet, then your legs up to your knees becomes covered in slimy mud. Though you are never in any danger, you find it slow going and uncomfortable.

After you've been slogging through the swamp for about three hours, you seem to be getting used to it. The bugs aren't bothering you as much any more. After a bit more travel, you realize that the bird sounds are gone as well, and it has become eerily quiet. Eventually, Boldar leads you out of the swamp and into an open space. The ground here is fairly level, and extends for about 800 feet to the north of you, and maybe twice that to the east. Scattered throughout this huge field are dozens of hillocks that you recognize as the infamous "barrows".

After a moment, you realize that Boldar has taken you out of the swamp at the beginning of a little path. Or perhaps he's been following a path that you hadn't really noticed before. The path is lined with little cairns (piles of stone) and it seems to lead toward one particular barrow about 500 feet to the northeast of you, which is surrounded with several standing stones (#12 on map). On either side of the path are other barrow mounds, and about 100 feet south of the barrow at the end of the trail is a particularly large standing stone (#11 on map).

There are several other burial mounds visible nearby, some on either side of the trail, some around on the other side of the large barrow. You can see that a few of the doors have opened, but several barrows do not seem to have been disturbed, yet. In addition to those nearby, the barrow field extends much further to the east, though that area is largely shrouded in mist at the moment.
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#10 Post by Spearmint »

Carling

(-6gp) The elf tuts at the reticence of the others to invest in their endeavour. Speculating to accumulate he buys the sledgehammer and a belt of iron spikes. He relieves Boldar of the burden as the arrive at the Barrows.

He surveys the challenge ahead and suggests to the group. "That one (12) looks the main attraction. Maybe others think the same too. Why don't we test ourselves against an un cracked nut first. This barrow (10) appears unmolested. Why not try that?"

Close enough to other significant Barrows that we should keep our bearings when the fog sets in.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#11 Post by leafcutter »

Agreed. Why waste time sifting through the remnants of other expeditions? Perhaps we should investigate the entry to this tumulus (10) for any clues as to its occupants?

Theglid turns to Boldar. Sir, how long to you plan to remain in the field today? I trust we had better leave this place long before dark.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#12 Post by drpete »

Boldar considers Theglid's question. "I will do what you ask, Father. It's your gold, sir. If you want to get back to Helix before dark, though, you only have a few hours before we need to turn around..."

Ok, so as you go about up here, do you want to walk at "exploring" speed, where you are cautiously observing as you go (giving you a better chance to find any features on the ground, like holes or "stuff"), or just walking around normally? Cautious, exploring motion is half speed, basically.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#13 Post by leafcutter »

Well then, I suggest we use the time and see what we can accomplish.

I vote we move at normal speed to whichever barrow we want to enter, then switch to exploring speed at the entrance/inside. What does everyone else think?

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#14 Post by Fingolwyn »

"Does anyone see any value in examining the standing stone before we open a barrow? Perhaps it holds knowledge to assist us in our endeavors." Lhainor will wait for a reply, then follow the party to wherever we decide to go (#10 is fine with me).
Feed the Boy and he will become a Man. Feed the Man and he will become a God. Feed the God and you will become the food.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#15 Post by snake_hunter »

Fane: I agree with Lhainor. We should at least take a cursory look at the standing stone, since it's not far from our barrow anyway. Has anyone seen those Vikings? I don't trust them...

I also agree with moving at exploration speed once we're in the barrow

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#16 Post by Piper »

Wick is in favor of taking a look at the standing stone.
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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#17 Post by drpete »

The group heads over to examine the standing stone.

It is a 15 foot tall blackish stone which seems to have been here for a very long time. It is carved with designs and runes. Though time has worn some of the details away, there is an image of a great skull carved into the top of the stone. Carling and Theglid recognize this as the symbol of Nergal, God of Death.
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The words are written in the Black Speech:
The first passage exalts Nergal, praising him for his dominion over death, the underworld, and the undead.

A second passage praises his Chosen ones, praying that they be exalted, and that they conquer all.

The phrase "Life in Death" appears twice.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#18 Post by thirdkingdom »

Betdas the Bold, Fighter

Betdas, silent until now, whistles softly. "Shrine to the god of Death. Got it. Shall we make a closer examination or move on to a barrow? I vote barrow, and I say we start with the mot obvious," he says, pointing.
My vote is for Barrow #12, the one with the path leading to it.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#19 Post by Spearmint »

Carling

"Well it might take us a well to breakthrough any stone works at number 10. Why don't you and someone else scout out the entrance to 12 and see if you can see or hear other groups at work? You are only a couple of bow shots away if you get into trouble"" Carling suggests.

His mind is made up and if daylight is going to be an issue, thinks we need to agree and get cracking. He swings the sledgehammer in a windmill fashion, he is only slightly built so doesn't expect to split stones easily and takes a few lessons in the spiking department from the experienced farm hands.

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Re: Chapter 1: Expedition to the Barrow Moor

#20 Post by Piper »

The twelfth barrow? I can do it, pipes up Wick.
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