Barrowmaze IV: Delving for Power and Glory

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth is up to it, I think he is at 4 Dex now.

[OGRE MAGE]

I have some ides for our maze exploration, if anyone cares to hear them.

The ale pools haven't been investigated yet. Is that something we even want to mess with?

The flaming death knight frightens me, but I am also very intrigued about what it might be guarding.

The iron cobras are an obvious choice, but it might be better to tackle that last, in case one of us is bitten and poisoned.

The wide diagonal hallway to the east is where we saw the cultist activity, so I think we need to avoid that area for as long as we can.

We could search that long hallway to the south that hasn't been investigated yet, but maybe we should tie up some loose ends closer to the exit first.

We have an advantage with the Sunstone now, if we want to try manipulating that again.

We should probably try to check through the room with the hanged mongrelman as well, in case we missed anything in there.

I think there are a few broken locks along the way that we might be able to fix and spring now.

The lever room is always an option as well.

I would say we could address these as we come to them, unless anyone has other thoughts?

[Rex]

Closest first seems a good idea.

[OGRE MAGE]

Kills/Spoils/Items of Interest

Located Spade Mound (17)
Located Baboon Mound (24)
Located Cross mound (22)
Located Burrowed Holes Mound (23)
Found the two traps on the Silas mound (one the hard way)


Treasure!
Isvand finds a playing card: Jack of Diamonds
Two sapphires
109 gold pieces, each has a small hole drilled into it
A drawstring pouch containing nine human fingers, each has a colourful ribbon tied to it.
A short sword in a scabbard. When withdrawn you see that instead of an iron blade there is a large iron key attached to the hilt.
Big John's Miners Pick?


Monsters Killed/Vanquished
Evaded a Rust Monster
7 Mineral Encrusted Fossilized Skeletons (Sven killed 2 on his own)
1 Haunt (Big John)


notes on Amos & Truro

Amos
He is a C2 / T1 ,
AC 6, Studded leather, Dex +1AC
HP 13,
(Dex 15, Wis 15).
4 x daily 1st level spells plus Read Magic. As a cleric of Arcantryl, he has learned the Mage spell Shield. He may cast any 'touch' based spell via a melee attack/weapon as part of Arcantryl domain benefits.
He carries a scroll of Protection from Evil and two vials of Holy Water. He bears a long Quarterstaff and a mace. He also has a set of Thieves Tools.
Current spell loadout: CLW, CLW, Shield, Bless, Read Magic.

Truro, young itinerant evangelist hiring himself out via the Mercenary Guild.
Cleric of St Ygg's. Accompanying Sven's Barrowmaze IV expedition.
C1,
AC 5 chainmail,
hp 5,
Q-staff, mace.
Has +2 x 1st level (& +1 x 2nd level when advanced) Wisdom bonus spells, plus one for level plus domain spell of Light, that he may cast daily.
Usually loaded out with 2 x CLW'S, Light, Remove Fear.
Str 10, Int 10, Wis 15, Dex 11, Con 12, Cha 9

[sastaz]

Okay I'm back, sorry about the hiatus. Had to put some effort into finding a new assignment as I leave my existing one in a month.

Gerdal

"As you all know, I still have a goose to pick with those iron cobras, but I really think me and Sven needs to be rested by then, because who knows what kind of creatures they really are and what tricks are needed to defeat them. I nearly spent all of my energy on this...miner's ghost."

"And yes, maybe avoid the cultists and flaming black knights for now. How about we continue investigate the rooms Sven mentioned that seems to be uninhabited? Let's just do them one by one as Orgoth suggests."

"By the way. The iron cobras really seem out of place among all cursed undead around here, don't they?"

[redwarrior]

Isvand speaks up I think we should investigate the area we've started before moving to the diagonal corridor. I think we should start with the room that had the hanged man and rooms we haven't been able to open yet. I'd like to save the snakes for the last thing.

[Spearmint]

If Orgoth is up to it, lets check out this room right next door."

Leading the way to the next chamber, he has the thieves look around for traps in the hallway or on the portcullis.

Exploring the Corridors.

With a suggestion to check out the supposed 'armoury' room, first viewed by Harkazz, the group go up the corridor. The passage ends after twenty feet in the iron portcullis which appears to be quite heavy and rusty. Maybe the rust monster has had a nibble here but the bars remain string and sound. They can be raised but needs some combined strength. Ten feet last the bars, a thick mouldy curtain shields the rest of the room from view. It is quiet there now though before shuffling footsteps had been heard.

The room is twenty feet wide with the portcullis in the left half of the southern wall.

who lifts and who goes beyond once a gap has been created?

[redwarrior]

Isvand will slide under as soon as there is a gap, and start looking for a mechanism to raise it.

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven stays in the hallway, out of the way of the heavy lifting.

“Use the heavy pick to help pry it up. Then it can be used to wedge it open enough to crawl under.”

“Be careful Isvand! There was something moving around behind that curtain last time.”

“Clerics, be ready!”

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth will try lifting it.

[sastaz]

Gerdal

Seems a little hesitant.

"Isvand, are you sure you don't want me to send Harkazz through the bars first to locate any lever or other opening mechanism? In case you are attacked? It's really easy for him just to sneak through the bars."

If Isvand and the others agree, Harkazz will sneak inside and have a quick look (and avoid being stomped by zombies or burning knights) just to see if he can locate any obvious opening device or other strangenss clearly visible from the room inside, without going near the tapestry. If so, he will return directly afterwards and Gerdal will report what she saw to the others before we go ahead with the plan and lift the porticulis so that Isvand can sneak through.

So we go ahead as described, only letting Harkazz do a quich recon first?

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

Going with the sorceress sending in the lizard instead of the halfling. You get a very similar picture to your first familiar exploration.

Gerdal sits against a wall, concentrating upon her familiar Harkazz, the long tongued animal companion is sent scuttling away to explore the northern corridors. In your vision you see weirdly through the reptiles eyes, strange looking in two alternative directions at once and your brain having to configure the picture. The chameleon keeps to the sidewalls, sniffing tasting, munching on an earwig (tasty, bitter shell and full of splurge and grit), then going north up the first open corridor on the right coming to a portcullis.

Thick and heavy, rusted but enough gaps for a chameleon to pass through but not you. Beyond a mildewed tapestry or curtain shields the room. Sneak beyond, wait, camouflage into stone. A figure stands, dressed as human, booted, cloaked, armed. Standing still or to attention? Some movement. Figure gives very little heat radiation. Not warm blooded. Harkazz observes, staying still. Pictures hanging on walls, a mirror like in the tavern, a shield on floor, a broken bench, some pottery, a scattering of coins. The chameleon scuttles along, climbing up a wall but is in turn observed. He scuttles away before a mighty crash of steel upon stone threatens to carve him in two.

Harkazz initiative [1d6]=6 Critter [1d6]=4 [1d20]=6[1d6]=5

actions please

[sastaz]

I will assume Gerdal communicated everything seen except that last bit while focusing.

Gerdal shrieks and twists her head as if trying to look in two opposite directions simultaneously.

"Have to get out, have to get out, along the wall, up the ceiling, quickly now!"

Harkazz will climb up to the ceiling if he didn't have time to sneak out through the bars. If he got out, Gerdal will let him climb up on her and have a look at what's stirring behind the bars.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth readies his spear so he can attack through the bars if need be.

"What is it Gerdal?"

[Spearmint]

Harkazz makes it out, returning through the portcullis. The figure beyond the curtain stays behind the curtain, which is 10'ft past the bars so you cannot visibly see him though by your group noise and conversations, etc, you can expect that your presence has been noted.

[Rex]

Orgoth

"Any idea what it is Gerdal? Not sure I want to intentionally tangle with something before I am fully recovered."

[OGRE MAGE]

I am trying to envision the room. Is there a way to go behind the curtain from both sides?

Should we try to pull these curtains down for a better look?

[Spearmint]

Here is a map portion with the curtain across the room.

[OGRE MAGE]

This fellow doesn’t actually seem like a threat to us, so I don’t mind leaving this one alone if an intrusion seems reckless. We could always come back. If you want to go in, Sven will follow.

Let’s leave the door at 78 alone until we have a solid poison antidote.

Sven wants to check over that altar at 75 again with this mask on, to see if there is any connection.

We should search 76 as well, after checking everything carefully for traps. Hold your breath.

Then either levers or Sunstone?

[Rex]

75 then 76 makes sense.