Barrow Mounds: Under the Vulture's Shadow.

[Spearmint]

19.11pm. Windy, light rain.
Light: Visibility poor, restricted to 60'ft radius. Lantern (Rickford) Lantern (Duval). Torches at base of barrow.
Effects: Moriartus - Shield spell
Health: Duval -2hp Fydmar -1hp

Moriartus 0hp
Cadeweed 0hp
Dougal 0hp
Marcel 0hp
Two-Birds -7hp
Rickford -3hp

The aftermath. Fydmar pours the healing elixir down the throat of the ranger Dougal, who spluttering and cursing wakes at the feet of the decapitated zombie and grinning dwarf. The battle favouring the characters by the finest of margins, the battlefield triage begins. Bleeding out a little more -1hp, cleric mercenary Two-Birds is brought back from the brink by her potion of honeyed health and the other cleric revived using the one in Moriartus' pouch.

Healing potions used Dougal, Two-Birds, Marcel [2d4+2]=4+2=6 [2d4+2]=7+2=9 [2d4+2]=4+2=6

Raised to new life, the clerics can now call upon their deities favour to procure further healing, albeit, only curing light wounds. While Duval guides Marcel to the stricken form of the other hireling Rickford who continues to bleed out -1hp, Two-Birds ministers grace to the others.

Two-Birds cast CLW upon Moriartus & Cadeweed [1d8]=4 [1d8]=1.


Dougal +6hp
Two-Birds +9hp. she is at 1hp of health
Marcel +6hp
Moriartus +4hp
Cadeweed +1hp

Marcel needs to minister to Rickford, please roll any healing cast.

Duval retrieves everyone's dropped weapons, Dougal wards the group, anxious that the other half of the zombie horde, turned some minutes ago may soon return.

actions please.

[scottjen]

Fydmar
Glad to have been of service. Don't like the thought of getting lost out here alone. So now what? Climb over the boulder and enter the Barrow, or head back to town. We need to move before more undead come.
That was a close one. Any possibility of any of the quarrels I shot being re-usable?

[Spearmint]

Fydmar

a note from the house rules section:

Missiles thrown by hand may be recovered with a little searching. Arrows, crossbow bolts, sling bullets or stones that miss at long range or medium range are lost unless a turn is spent searching the area, supposing it safe to do so.
Of those that hit, roll a 50/50% yes/no for each that may be reusable.

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

"Wandering the moor at night is folly. We must fortify our position here. Mr. Fydmar and Mr. Dougal, please finish breaking through the seal into the mound while the rest of us arrange the twice dead zombies to form an arc around the entrance."

"Douse the corpses with oil. If the remaining zombies return ... or anything else arrives ... we light the oil. It won't stop zombies, but will at least give them a good charring."

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal recovers his arrows and helps first with the zombie wall before starting the hammering again.

"That was claus! Hae many ag the other undehd were there? The ones who ran?"

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

Moriartus hesitates before answering. "About ten ..." He replies ominously.

[scottjen]

Fydmar
Will help with removing stone from the entry. I thought only the bottom half was still blocked; did I misunderstand that?
I had two shots & both hit. Here are some % rolls.
Recover projectile [1d100]=89
Recover projectile [1d100]=34

[Spearmint]

Fydmar the fallen boulder covers the bottom half of the door so you can restart the hammering.

It will take three turns at least.

You recover one usable crossbow bolt.

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Cadeweed attempts to recover his bullet from the zombie skull, but it appears that he was not successful. Afterwards he helps to drag the zombie bodies as Moriartus directed.

Percentage [1d100]=92

I am assuming that I am at 2 HP at this time. (1 when I was awoken and 1 from the CLW)

[Spearmint]

Cadeweed:

I am assuming that I am at 2 HP at this time. (1 when I was awoken and 1 from the CLW)

no, the cure light wounds put you at 1hp.

[Paladin]

Marcel Gerard Desrosiers

When Gerard finds himself back among the living, he quickly kneels beside Rickford and utters a prayer to ask for healing.

[1d8]=7

[scottjen]

Ah, got it now! stone was in front of a door, not an open portal.
Fydmar continues his duties of stone extraction.

[Spearmint]

20.00pm. Windy, light rain.
Light: Visibility on Moor low, restricted to 60'ft radius.
Lantern (Rickford) Lantern (Duval).

Through the blessings of the friar, Rickford is restored to a modicum of health. The party are equal bruised, battered, bloodied. But breathing and not continually bleeding out. Smalls mercies in an unforgiving environment.

The decayed cadavers are dragged over to surround the mound and anointed in lantern oil but the funeral pyre is delayed so that any conflagration can shield the party from further walking dead.

While the bodies are dragged in place, the stone seal is set upon. There is only enough room for one labourer at a time and so the attempt to breakthrough is fraught with fears that the noise will attract things to your presence. Indeed, in the aftermath of the battle, scavengers stalk, claiming territorial feeding rights on those zombies who lay at the bottom of the incline. A giant scorpion scuttles away clutching a corpse, its sting poised to strike any who would argue over the prize. It soon disappears into the mist. Those tossed torches flicker their dying light, but nothing else ventures into the fading radiance.

For what seems an age (though only a few turns), the stone is chipped away and wedging spikes hammered to fracture the seal. Eventually a breakthrough is made and the top half of the stone crumbles into several pieces.

Peering in, Fydmar doesn't notice anything with his infravision. Though the excavated area around the seal has shown signs of possible collapse, the interior beyond the portal looks reasonably secure and dry.

A chamber, about forty feet in diameter with a low wide domed ceiling. Four alcoves are set into the walls at regular intervals. Poised upright in three are large brass statues, each of a jackal type canine with dull, blood red eyes that glint in the torch or lantern light that you use to illuminate the area. The floor is a mosaic of intricate patterned stones, jigsaw piece shapes that depict a faded pastoral scene. Opposite the entrance stone is another archway that has steps which descend into the blackness below.

To the right is a stone plinth, upon which a broken reed casket is set. Beneath it are the remnants of a body, a dry skeletal husk, dismembered. Three other skeletons are in the room. They appear to be of canine origins though their fur has long since rotted away.

In the fourth alcove a large stand holds a burnished brazier, two round corked jars hang from side hooks.

actions please.

I will check the threads and edit this with a new reconciliation of hp for everyone.

Health status:

Moriartus full health
Dougal -6hp
Fydmar -1hp
Cadeweed -5hp
Marcel -2hp
Two-Birds -6hp
Rickford -6hp
Duval -2hp.

[scottjen]

Fydmar
The alcoves are 2 each side of the steps opposite in a round chamber? Which one holds the brazier from where we are standing?
Fydmar will check for traps on the floor near the entrance & then move in to the chamber, probably over to the brazier alcove depending on where it is.

[Spearmint]

Ok. Here is a visual I knocked up on my mobile. Sorry I am not an artist!

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

Moriartus scans the room and settles his gaze on the burnished brazier. Certainly an unexpected item, unless it's intended to be used? He casts Detect Magic and checks for magical auras, particularly the brazier and jars.

Spell Recovery (17): [4d6+1]=13+1=14

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Cadeweed back up on top, says "I am happy to come down and look for traps if that is something you would like."

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

"Certainly, Mr. Cadeweed, by all means."

"Mr. Duval, please assist them. Use the ten foot pole to probe both the floor and ceiling."

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal will remain near the entrance while they check for traps.

[Paladin]

Marcel Gerard Desrosiers

Gerard waits, weapon in hand, near Dougal while the others probe for traps.