Barrowmaze IV: Delving for Power and Glory

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

Altar hallway (75): Studying the defaced altar slab and comparing it to the mask worn by Sven offers few answers. No obvious connection springs to mind apart from both being Efreeti visages, though different in pose and grimace. The altar has a deliberate focus but the mask might be any one of a number of random designs. The fact it is a special alloy does not seem to create any relation either.

Mongrelmaid's room (76):

Before you is a square 20'ft room with the door in the bottom half of the east wall. Many alcoves dot the room though these are just a few inches round. Though your eyes are not drawn to these but to the figure dressed in dirty garments, hanging by a noose draped from a rafter in the centre of the room. The small humanoid has its back to you but displays prominent features, similar to the hybrid mishmash of races that you encountered with Howl of a Wolf.

Disturbingly, the figure has both eyes gouged out and a placard pinned to their chest which simply states, 'see no evil'.

Treyvor picked the room successfully so you can access it and lock it again with his skeleton keys. A search for traps does not reveal any.

The body has been hanging several days and is bloated from decay and already a home to maggots and flies. It doesn't look as bad as the rot grub exploding mage. You can cut the body down if you wish and Amos and Truro 'tag and bag' yet another Barrowmaze victim.

The humanoid is dressed in female attire. Her gouged out eyes are not in the room, the only furnishings are some kicked over stools. The alcoves cover the western wall only, each one is about a hand's span in width and an arm's length deep. It would take a single person a couple of hours to check out each one but the team of you can cover that in a couple of turns. For each turn spent please roll a 1d8.

Unless you want otherwise, I will allocate Truro to guard in the hallway and Drew by the cleared spider web passage and Smokie can rest on his favourite bench, the Efreeti altar.

actions and comments please

[redwarrior]

Isvand will start searching. The more the merrier! He's concerned about what ever the thing behind the portcullis was, but there are enough things that may kill us, it probably doesn't matter too much what order they try, though the snakes are last on his list!


Search [1d8]=7

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth searches as well.

Search [1d8]=7

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven tries not to breath in too deeply as he searches. He organizes the group as best he can so that ALL the alcoves can be searched expeditiously in the shortest amount of time.

“Let’s check the pockets of this poor thing before we bag it up too, just in case there are more clues than this sign.”


Random D8 [1d8]=1

Random D8 [1d8]=7

[sastaz]

Gerdal sits down against one of the walls, trying to calm Harkazz, and herself. Blending with the color and structure behind her, her voice comes seemingly out of nowhere as she speaks.

"Sven, is there some specific action you want me to forsee? I can divine our fortune, if I known what questions to ask. Maybe traversing the wide diagonal corridor of the cultists? Or breaking through to the iron cobras? Or have Isvand slide under the porticulis?"

"And Orgoth, sorry I didn't answer you before. No, I have no idea what that, or those, creatures behind the porticulis is. But I did not see any obvious opening mechanism inside, so entering might be quite dangerous."

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven

”After we get all these holes searched, we could go try manipulating those levers in the iron door room. Is there anything you can tell us about the outcome of that action?”

[sastaz]

Gerdal

"Certainly. But I'd need to concentrate, so let's do that as soon as we've searches these alcoves - should any strange creature pop out of them."

As soon as the group finishes the search of the alcoves, Gerdal will try to divine the outcome of
pulling those levers, as discussed with Sven.

[Rex]

Orgoth

"That is all right Gerdal, just trying to prepare to fight it."

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

The mongrelmaid is cut done and given some dignity. A casual frisk of her pockets and pouches does not turn up any clues as to who she was and why she was despatched in such a manner. The noose a standard ligature, the warning note and gouging a disturbing feature. Her body added to the bone pile and withered man's in the side alcove between the mausoleums.

The gnomes join the search of alcoves and between you, the group adds to the treasure trove found so far.

A pouch of 666 silver pieces. There is a note in the pouch that cautions the owner not to spend the coins but to cast them, spread across a floor in order to act as some special caltrops that would hinder a werewolf or other silver vulnerable creatures from crossing.

A porcelain skull in the shape of a boar's head. The apple in its mouth has a slot in it and the head rattles indicating coins inside. "Feed me" is written on the side.

A whittled piece of wood in the shape of a dwarf holding a drum. Underneath is written, "Drums in the Deep"

Several carapaces and claws belonging to crabs or crustaceans. They have been burned and are charred around the edges.

An oak cudgel, like a sailors belaying pin or short baseball bat.

A potion bottle, an unknown elixir none of you are familiar with. The flask is well sealed with a waxed cork.

The rest of the alcoves contain only common bones and linen shroud wrappings, uninteresting grave goods that are damaged and worn from time.


You get an "All clear" update from those guarding and Gerdal brews up a pot of herbal teas, pouring out a couple of cups worth of beverage and after drinking, swirling the tea leaf dregs to read some immediate fortune.

what questions would you like Gerdal to augur?

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth tests the club out, swinging it around and giving it a good inspection.

[sastaz]

what questions would you like Gerdal to augur?

"What will happen if we pull the lever(s)?" (There was just the one in that room, right?)

[OGRE MAGE]

I think there were three levers.

Sven looks over the interesting items while Gerdal communes.

“Drums in the deep? Have we seen that written somewhere before?”

“The potion is interesting, as are the pieces of silver.”

He looks over the skull with the apple, sizing up the slot with the keys they found earlier (shortsword, ornate key from lockbox, beetle scarab, etc.) to see if any are a match.

[Spearmint]

the slot is for coins, not a keyhole. It is a piggy bank.

[redwarrior]

Isvand joins Sven in looking over the loot. Upon seeing the note about using the silver as caltrops, he speaks up. I think we should follow the note. It seems very specific. looking at the shells and pinchers, he holds onto his mace. Whatever those came from are probably easier to bludgeon than to stab. He takes hold of the porcelain head and slides a copper piece into to the slot and shrugs. I think it is just a weird place to store coins Unless, of course, he triggered something! When Gerdal starts her divination, he pays close attention to what she is doing and how she forms her questions.

[OGRE MAGE]

Embarrassed, Sven puts the bank back down to investigate the potion instead.

Wax seal prevents sniff or taste, but are there any inscriptions or other markings?

[sastaz]

Gerdal

"Karibu na kilindi cha kifua cha mama mtakatifu wa ardhi, na mwana moto..."

[Spearmint]

you could uncork the potion and test sip a wee dram. Resealing the cork with some melted candle wax to keep the vacuum.

[Rex]

Orgoth

"The Drums of the Deep does sound vaguely familiar."

Orgoth watches Gerdal with interest.

[Spearmint]

So roll me an Augury check:

Gerdal uses Heirloom Augury vs 72%: [1d100] [1d100]

Can you elaborate on some actions or thoughts. Asking 'what pulling the levers do?', might just get you an open doors response.

[sastaz]

Gerdal keeps mumbling and mixing concoctions for a few minutes before she offers a cup to Isvand and another to Sven.

"Here. Drink. Ask your heart's desire. The more specific the question, the more tangible the answer."