Barrow Mounds: Under the Vulture's Shadow.

[Spearmint]

Marcel and Moriartus check the other side passage from the landing. It leads to a similar proportioned room but this has shelves built into the walls rather than alcoves. The mage's eyes light up at several large earthenware amphora among the scattered stores. This room is damp, a trickle of dripping water leaking down the east wall as seepage from the barrow grounds above. As in the other chamber, there is also another angled passage opposite. A carved lintel with a pyramid and 'all-seeing' eye carved into it.

This is the previous description.

You can take a while to search through the store room. The amphora jars are waist high, slim bodied with long necks. They are used as votive storage vessels and contain inert perfumes, spices and oils. The jars are in good condition despite their age. Nine are found. The oil is a thick lubricant and could be thinned to suit as lantern oil. Several gallons worth, a good job the blazing cadaver never ignited a potential 'bomb' threat.

Also you find under a linen sheet a carved book stand or lectern in the shape of an owl spreading its wings. The dark wood is lacquered and seems to have survived any infestation of woodworm or rot.

There are various common items, porcelain figures of people in work poses such as a thresher of wheat at work or a maid carrying a water jug.

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

He instructs the unseen servant to carry the amphora upstairs to the brazier room. The book stand obviously piques his interest though, as he carefully examines it, amazed it has withstood centuries with no visible decay.

He also casts Detect Magic to assist the study.

Spell Recovery (17): [4d6+1]=10+1=11

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal keeps helping with the debris.

After a short exchange with Spearmint he convinced me to give it a try even if my posting rate slows down. I'll try to do my best!

[Spearmint]

Burrowing out the Barrow

Fydmar as the most skilled of the group with construction knowledge, can you roll me a couple of 1d100's please so I can see how successful you are in appraising the Barrows continued integrity and the best way to stabilise any tunnelling out.

The party have minimal light to work by, a single lantern I believe and any light from burning in the brazier. So candles for checking out the guard and store rooms.

The Oval chamber has been completely filled in. There was a suggestion to dug out the Mummy and Barrett to search but that will need to be an extra effort on top of digging a new exit through to the barrow exterior.

Between characters you can shift some if the wood from the shelves to use as buttress slats to support any tunnelling. You are not digging a big tunnel, perhaps 25'ft long at an upwards angle.

There is enough air to breathe for at least a day though burning lantern oil and stuff in the brazier makes a more choking atmosphere.

Two-Birds gets stabilised and cannot be moved, Marcel can minister healing to revive her but not until the next day.

I am fine with hand waving a day stuck in the barrow recovering and tunnelling, subject to a random roll or two ... and rolls from Fydmar which might determine how long it takes to dig a way out and if during the tunnelling, any further unstable portions collapse.

glad you can continue Karaunios.

actions, rolls and comments please

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

Moriartus searches the guard room and the dessicated corpses next. "Mr. Marcel, I believe you stayed behind in this room with Barrett? Did he do or say anything unusual? I definitely would like to recover his body, though. He certainly knew much more about these runic inscriptions than he let on and may have carried a notebook with him."

Although he is physically too weak to reasonably assist with the excavations, he will continue directing an unseen servant in this regard, studying as necessary to recover the spell. "I wonder how much of Barrett's story was true? A flaming haired necromancer? Pull the other one!"

[Karaunios]

Dougal

Dougal will help as much as he can, although hell suggest taking turns so they ask can rest, and not use more fire than it's necessary, especially when those working can see in the dark.

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Cadeweed will continue helping Fydmar to dig our way out.

[scottjen]

Fydmar
First thing is to make sure we can get out of here before we suffocate. Then we can work on uncovering the bodies. He continues to assess and move rock.
Rolls:
d100 [1d100]=3
d100 [1d100]=55

[Quonundrum]

I am thinking that depending on time of day they finish excavations, either return to Helix or stay another night, but do some scouting. This mound could be used as a base on a return trip, as Moriartus at least intends to continue his search for the harpy nest.

Assuming it wasn't damaged in the collapse, we could use the wicker coffin upstairs to help carry the bulky amphora jars, bronze jackals, brazier, and lectern.

[Spearmint]

The chamber is made a little more hospitable. The iron brazier, cold for so many centuries is once more stoked into a welcoming fire courtesy of the broken casket pieces used as fuel.

sorry.

[Quonundrum]

Doh!

[Spearmint]

Burrowing out the Barrow.

checking, it is apparently more a Gnomish skill than dwarven to detect unsafe structures but dwarves can detect pit falls and traps which I think reasonably compares.

Fydmar assesses and directs the labour of creating a safe tunnel exit from the barrow chamber. You reinforce the small tunnel using the shelving to frame support struts and cross planks to hold up the roof. Eventually, five hours later, the tunnel surfaces at the excavation spot, just before the pile of laid out zombie corpses.

It is mid-afternoon. Two-Birds cannot be moved yet, she is stabilised but critically injured. Now with fresh air and a safe exit, albeit one you have to crawl through, a suggestion is made to secure the site for an additional day, giving time for Marcel to meditate on scriptures and avail enough healing virtue to minister to the stricken hireling.

With some investigation, Moriartus concludes that Barrett probably cast a Charm Person spell upon Rickford when he and Duval accompanied him below to inspect the signs over the door arches. Certainly all hold over the hireling has gone and he feels apologetic towards Cadeweed for stabbing him so.

With security lying in numbers, it is best you stick together. A brief scout around the area reveals that in two hexes (approx 250'ft) in every direction, there is only more stony ground. The neighbouring barrows must be more than a bowshot away from this one. (nominally tagged as Barrow 2: Mummy mound). Carrion critters, including giant ants and vultures do descend upon the zombie horde to nibble flesh and bones. You do not spit any giant vultures or those with injured wings amongst the avian flock however. Resting one more day in the heart of the barrows and awaking at breakfast on May 12th 1066, Two-Birds is healed to full health though it will take another day now for both clerics to be equipped with more spells.

what would you like to do next?

[gurusql]

Cadeweed

Now that we have dug our way out and confirmed we are going to have stay here for a little while.

"I would recommend that under Fydmar's leadership the two of us see if we can uncover any of the treasures in the lower chamber including the body of the villainous Barrett."

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

"Agreed. We are also still rather injured from battling the zombies and mummy, so let us refrain from any further scouting outside. Barrett was almost certainly carrying a spellbook and a charm spell may prove invaluable in rescuing the Bennerjake twins."

"Speaking of which ... Mr. Rickford, I will omit that unfortunate event with Mr. Cadeweed from my report to Mr. Osen. Although the spell made you consider Barrett a trusted friend, it could not and cannot change your basic nature."

"You acted consistent with your honor and duty ... considering the circumstances. There is no fault in that."

[Karaunios]

Dougal

"I agreh it's a guid idea tae use this maund as a base. Let's then steh faer a whale before daing some more scauting, aye.

If Fydmar and Cadewehd gang dunstehrs the rest of us can think of a plan tae carry all this trehsuir back. But it's a problem if we gang autsade tae scaut and leeve all of it here, and we shan't carry it with us whale daing sae, it will be a hehvy burden.

What dae?"

[Quonundrum]

Moriartus

"I suggest we harvest some of those large bones at the main entrance to the meadow and build a makeshift travois. A couple of us can drag it with the brazier, jackals, and lectern, while the others carry the more fragile amphora."

"I would rather not split the party, so l suggest we assist Fydmar and Cadeweed downstairs first. Mr. Rickford, Mr. Duval, and Miss Two-Bird's can keep watch up here."

[scottjen]

Fydmar
I agree with the halfling. He will do his best and directing/moving enough of the cave in to recover bodies & look in the mummy's resting place.
Some rolls if needed: d100 [1d100]=51
d100 [1d100]=3

[Spearmint]

rolls are always needed.

While Marcel meditates on devotional books and Moriartus studies arcane lore at the lectern, the others return to the lower floor to check out the Oval Chamber.

Fydmar can discern two things. Firstly a narrow passage could be made between the northern wall and the collapsed area which means anyone wanting to study the inscription could get too it. just don't sing along ...)

Secondly, the roof has caved in over three quarters of the room, squashing the Mummy and Barratt's body under a ton of earth and stones. It might be possible to dig both out but you risk collapsing your freshly dug tunnel entrance which is directly above. The risk, in the dwarf's estimation is probably not worth it.

you could try but your only equipment is one sledgehammer and bare hands.

Discussing the crafting of an ad-hoc travois sounds feasible. You have some rope which could bind the remnant shelving and bones together into a small dog sled type of hauled carrier, though the drag factor will undoubtedly slow your movement down. With that in mind, do you wish to scout the Mammoth field to collect bones that might do the task?

Mummy, Mammoth or another action?

[Quonundrum]

The group should actually have two sledgehammers and a pick. One of the two hammers was picked up at a mound.

viewtopic.php?p=576000#p576000

[Spearmint]

Great, I knew you had found one. The assessment below in the Oval Chamber is the same for the danger but the equipment cuts the time.