Barrowmaze: Territorial Gains.

[Spearmint]

A few bits of 'Housekeeping':

Actions: so I am fine with the group of characters or whole party including npc's going through the hallways to knock the next breach through.

I need to know who stays with the gear in the crypts below (or if it is all stored in the Plinth/Bone golem room and secured by the locked cell door.

I need a resolution to the horse & wagon, neither or which will enter the upper barrow crypt. (The horse is a draft horse and too large to squeeze through the entrance)

Also: my action, I just need to synchronise your decision to go that way with Vann's team so that timelines match, otherwise I risk 'continuity' issues. I will check current timelines for all in the area.

Actions can one of you deal with the strongbox Cadeweed brought and account for any use of the holy waters and potion. I know Cadeweed scripted taking some, I need characters to add whatever they carry to personal inventories and note the amount removed from 'stored gear' lists. You could all take one or leave them as stored gear.

Decide who goes exploring and who may stay behind.

[Spearmint]

just House Keeping:

Health Status of Territorial Gains expedition:

Isvand: 9/21hp
Cosmo: 4/14hp
Amos: 12/20hp
Gideon: 6/8hp
Gerdal (with chameleon Harkazz): 2/8hp (2/12hp)
Sir Dewey: 14/22hp
Cadeweed: 12/18hp

Patra-patra: 8/8hp
Copperpiece: 6/6hp
Gnimish: 1/9hp
Treyvor: 4/6hp
Barba: 5/10hp

Plantie: 4/8hp
Lemmy: 4/8hp
Ozzie: 6/8hp
Meatloaf: 8/8hp

In upper Barrow Mound:
Tamson:10/10hp
Bucko: 6/8hp
Mule: 12/12hp

Outside the Barrow Mound:
Dandelion: draft horse & wagon.

July 11th 1066.

4.30pm: approximate time.

[sastaz]

As a player, I'd like to be in a smaller group with just a few other players if possible.

[OGRE MAGE]

We are all about half injured or worse.

Even if we rest another night, we won’t have enough healing available to get everyone back into good shape.

We have like, 30 NPC’s running around.

The horse is going to become zombie food (or worse) eventually if it stays outside.

So…..

If anyone wants to head back to Helix with the horse and wagon right now, Amos would agree to lead them.

[Spearmint]

it is good to have these in-character conversations, especially with the original Guild Co-op plan to consolidate some territory. (and include Vann's group in any group think).

So folk returning to Helix is fine. Is there a plan beyond . Take the wagon back, buy supplies, return again straight away. How do you consolidate the position? Who stays?

I was sharing in a forum, a scenario could be Character X decides to stay with the supplies and guards the area. Nothing happens for the next six hours. Whereas Group B go exploring in those six hours but take a month of real life to cover all the crypts and combats. Which leaves player X, twiddling thumbs for a month even though their character was doing a proactive and beneficial thing for the team.

In that instance, I could justify a player rolling a 2nd character to RP while their main character was in 'a held action' such as the above.

How does that help?

[redwarrior]

Isvand says I may not be a terribly clever man, I mean I am, but I may not be, in any case, before I get too involved... We're all pretty well beat up, I think this is a time to do the clever thing and withdraw and heal ourselves before going further.

[ateno]

"Is there a reason for all of us. not to stay? We should all go. We are pushing our luck as it is, I feel."

Cosmo

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Cadeweed will give a frown and a sigh, take a few paces and say, "I am the new guy but you are probability right. This group sure has been expensive to join."

He will them pull out his book and re-read the pages on the undead that were just killed.

[OGRE MAGE]

Before leaving to bash in the next wall, Amos takes stock of the groups supplies.


If anyone wants to add some of this stuff to their sheets, go for it.
pick/sledgehammer
excavating tools and equipment
bags of fortifying cements
a spool of barbed wire
blankets/sleeping bags
fresh rations/barrels of clean water
ale kegs
two iron kegs filled with lantern fuel (-10ish flasks)
dozens of torches
lengths of rope
door wedging spikes

Two quivers of arrows
Duchy broadswords
spears
crate of imported Holy Water vials in a strongbox (x10) Amos/?
a single dose of a Cure Poison Cadeweed
two grenades of Gnome's Wrath (thick gelatinous cube that ignites when exposed to air) Trev/Gnim?

He will equip 3 Holy Waters and some oil flasks for himself.

After some consultation with higher powers……

Amos clears his throat and uncharacteristically takes the floor.

“On second thought, looking over these supplies, I think we have the makings of a decent camp here. I didn’t see this barbed wire. We could rig up a quick little corral outside using this and the wagon to hopefully protect the horse a little.”

“If we spend a little time cleaning up the last room back there, we could sterilize it, exorcise it, and set up enough comfortable bunks where we can heal up while we sleep. Like a proper resting place.”

“We have enough people in here now that we could split up our numbers in shifts, with a couple guards here watching the gear while others sleep and another group is out exploring. I don’t think it would be that hard to organize.”

If everyone agrees to stay and be split into teams, Amos will oversee the building of a barricade for the horse outside, also devising a rope-pulling alarm system from the top guards to alert the lower guards watching the halls/rooms if they need help up above.

“If we bring even more folks in here, we could set up a gate outside and take over this entrance completely. Then we would learn who else routinely uses it. Heck, maybe we could even charge a fee to use it, like Sven would have suggested.” He laughs a little, wondering if his dear benefactor yet lives.

Lastly, he takes one of the gems they just found and hands it to Cadeweed. “Here you go. This is worth 5 times your fee. Welcome to the Guild. We are all rich in this group, haven’t you heard? Now let’s concentrate on the bigger task at hand…….together, and without further distraction.”

1 Two of Hearts gems deducted from sheet.

[redwarrior]

Isvand I like this idea. i think it was what we'd planned all along. in my current state I forgot about the plan. Let's do that, rather than a pointless trek to town and back.

[Monsieur Rose]

Sir Dewey

The Paladin looks and feels dejected while many are plotting retreat. His mood and demeanor swiftly change when Amos and then Isvand express positivity. "Good on you. We can do this, everyone. We will create a foothold and spread our cleansing throughout this foul place."

He addresses Gerdal, Cosmo, Cadeweed, and Gideon. "I would love for you to stay and recuperate here. I believe we can make it hospitable. And truth be told, we need your magic to accomplish it. Stay, fortify, and recover, then decide on your next actions."

He suggests holding off on further exploration and possible danger in favor of consolidating and building defenses. We can gather chunks and make a makeshift wall and using a stolen door we could make a new chokepoint. Once they make a base, trips back to town are in order.

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Cadeweed gladly accepts the gem.

Just to note, Cadeweed not wanting to leave all the valuable stuff up in the wagon did take two of the Holy Water vials (and has used one) and one of the grenades of Gnome's Wrath in addition to the Cure Disease. I am happy to spread things out, but that is where they are at the moment.

"I am happy to stay, I just got here. It just sounded like everyone was leaving and I didn't want to stay alone."

[ateno]

"Sir Dewey., I feel useless here. All these undead are immune to my powers. I've had my butt kicked and seem to have become almost a front line fighter. I don't feel comfortable, tell me what i can do to pull my weight and feel more c9mfortable?

Cosmo

[Monsieur Rose]

Sir Dewey

"I know what you're capable of, Cosmo. And I appreciate that you have willingly stepped into a role you aren't geared for. But I feel much better about having a variety of options down here, I'm sure that our run of undead encounters will end. It's almost guaranteed to do so if you leave." The Knight tries to reassure the Illusionist.

"You are anything but useless. At the very least you are a capable tactician and able to bring some needed common sense to my half-baked ideas."

He looks around at the group. "I know I'm not Sven and Orgoth, who we all followed down here, but I promise to do everything I can to make sure everyone makes it back in one piece. And I need all of you to be able to fulfill that promise."

[OGRE MAGE]

If everyone agrees to stay, resting in shifts after we sterilize a bunk room, here is a suggestion to help get things started up again.

Guarding
In upper Barrow Mound:
Tamson:10/10hp
Bucko: 6/8hp
Mule: 12/12hp
Outside the Barrow Mound:
Dandelion: draft horse & wagon

Mildly Wounded: Continue?
Sir Dewey: 14/22hp
Gideon: 6/8hp
Amos: 12/20hp
Cadeweed: 12/18hp
Treyvor: 4/6hp
Barba: 5/10hp
Patra-patra: 8/8hp
Copperpiece: 6/6hp
Plantie: 4/8hp
Lemmy: 4/8hp
Ozzie: 6/8hp
Meatloaf: 8/8hp

Badly Wounded: Rest?
Isvand: 9/21hp
Cosmo: 4/14hp
Gerdal (with chameleon Harkazz): 2/8hp (2/12hp)
Gnimish: 1/9hp

If everyone agrees with this plan, I suggest we move over to break down the next bricked up doorway.

Is anyone keen on the idea of rolling up a second PC as SM suggested?

[Spearmint]

"Sir Dewey., I feel useless here. All these undead are immune to my powers. I've had my butt kicked and seem to have become almost a front line fighter. I don't feel comfortable, tell me what i can do to pull my weight and feel more comfortable?

Cosmo. A gnome who has fought the legendary Death knight, Marshall of Nergal's Chosen legion; staring down the Lizardmen's draconic aspect and surviving several petrifying gazes of the Euryale and ignoring Nergal's own invitation to annihilate himself by climbing through the Green Face icon's mouth. His self deprecating exploits are well known.

Everyone has a place and skills to add, ingenuity and creative thought or just hacking a foe to smithereens and defending each other.

The Group: look to consolidate the foothold gained. Firstly we can address the draft horse and wagon.

Several picket stakes get knocked into the ground in a little semi-circle in front of the barrow mound entrance. Then the barbed wire is wrapped around to provide a basic security fence and it can have various tins and pots attached that rattle as an alarm if something climbs over.

You might still have the Magic Mouth warning in effect which if not, Gerdal could cast and even use that in relay form to warn of intruders.

In the first chamber, the one with the dangling rope below the block & tackle, there were two cairns of rocks set up as trapped pillars. I am fine with you 'remotely' triggering them to disable the traps. They simply send 3d6 worth of exploded rubble in the chamber, causing a kittle nore cave in and instability of the western wall but otherwise no harm if no one is in the vicinity.

The miners can mix mortar with the rubble to reinforce the two breached walls and the gap in the Charnel room (the black pudding door, the Ravenous zombie room and the Charnel room), sealing them off in an effort to eliminate danger or disease stemming from those areas.

Folk can combine to sweep out the Museum crypt, Vermissian Sage crypt and the end room that previously held gear inside. The gear and supplies are currently stored in the Plinth room (the secret door & chest trap disabled) and the cell door has been fixed with a new locking mechanism (Isvand's keyblade short sword the key).

With these rooms reasonably clean and habitable, light sources aside, the only continual effect is 'Barrowmaze atmosphere' which manifests as that continual eerie feeling of being watched, whispered to; touched and even tasted by the gnats and bugs that flit about.

While this activity is taken, others guard but thankfully the afternoon wears into evening and evening into the later hours without incident.

Actions: at this point, I am fine actioning resting the night here and randomizing any occurrences. This group is a little ahead timewise to other concurrent nearby teams and ideally I can synchronise you all back together.

If that 'rest for the night' is the default action, I can also tote up any current xp award and with gaining a toehold / stronghold in the Barrowmaze, award some xp out.

Then I can action more breaching doors and further explorations (subject to a peaceful night).

How does that sound?

[redwarrior]

Sounds good to me

[ateno]

A rest and xp vote here.

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

"Agreed"

[Monsieur Rose]

Works for me.