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The man eyes the arrow's head with grim amusement.

"I dare say that bow would give you a bit more advantage in the open than down here, me fine, fine boyo, and recall well who first sought to rob who." he chuckles. "Or, at least, who was so foolish as to make that thought known. I'll admit that, when first you came down those stairs, I thought you an easy bit of extra reward after a hard night's work."

He lets drop his club and spreads his hands.

"But we may as well be easy about all this now, and we'll speak better in the sunlight, where that bow of yours will be of more use anyway. Not all of these barrows are empty, and fell things have been known to creep into this chamber from time to time. I would that we all went above ground and away from the hole. Besides, my boyos, some of you at least be lordly folk, well armed with good weapons, and need not fear a stout bit of wood."

He leans down slowly, and picks up his cudgel with his left hand, and gestures to the stairs.

"Mix and mingle, gentleman all? Or would you rather put on a bit of a show for the dark gods what live below? I swear they will laugh full well at whatever blood we spill."

Avery steps forward boldly. "Samash the Wolf, I am Avery, a servant of Ulesh, the god of peace. In the interest of preserving and extending the influence of my god and his most sacred dream for all creatures under the sun, We will allow you to pass. No man will stop you without drawing the ire of the god so invoked. Take your gains, and go, and when next we meet, we will meet as we part now: as friends." The boy steps aside to allow the wolfish men to pass, and Girt waves at the men on the stairs to do the same.

Samash gives a short, almost mocking bow.

"I will remember you, should we meet again, and will remember also your words on this occasion." He then calls down the hole, "All's fair, lads, up and on our way."

Four more men climb up from below.

Samash the Wolf smirks. "A safety measure, no more," he says. Then he and his leave the barrow, unless molested by anyone, stopping to survey your party outside. "A fair group; may you have good fortune below."

Silva says, "i took care of a scorp for you last i was here. Care to tell a tale of you ventures Samash? Ill be happy to reward you with coin if your story proves profitable."

("I will remember you, should we meet again, and will remember also your words on this occasion." - This is a holdup! is what he'll remember...)

Ballotelli says, "Don't worry, there will be no problems. I will keep myself under control. I know that I have to grow up. And I will buy Longtooth many beers when I see him in town."

Samash the Wolf waits a good long moment.

"Well, I see you be a man of good high honour, My Lord of the Scorpion Shield," he says mockingly. "If you were hoping for the location of an unguarded hoard of gold and jewels, know you that if I knew of such, it would be there no longer. All things being as they are, I can see you boyos are ready to try your own luck, and I wish you a good rich haul!"

With that, he sets off into the mist toward Helix, and his men follow him.

OOC: 2 XP each.

Toothy Herman and the two boys move to the iron tripod and the rope recently vacated.All three carefully inspect the rope and tripod to detect tampering by Samash or his men.

"We ought to figure out a way to get back up here if those men decide to come back and reel up the rope," Girt says. "Anyone bring a grappling hook?"

Herman takes a torch in his mouth, grabs the rope, and shimmies into the hole, the boys close behind, Girt with Giant under his arm and mostly sliding down.

The area below is much as it was; cool and dark, about 30 feet square, with worn frescos of funeral processions on the walls. The hole enters this room from some 35 feet above the floor. Bones and rubble lie scattered across the floor. The western wall has partially collapsed, and there is an archway is visible to the east, closest to the southern wall.

Silva and co go down as well. Ballotelli lights a torch. Silva has a grapple btw. Maybe we should buy a chain in town next time...

Toothy and the boys plus dog make their way to the east archway, carefully, observantly, and go in the first door to the south, previously explored. They make for the southwestern door room, and the rooms beyond where Maurice went initially, but turned back. They urge the others to follow.

Lead the way.

Okay.

You leave the room through the archway, go through the first door to the south, and cross a 20-foot square room to another door. Opening it, you see a room roughly 30 feet square, with the far right corner "cut off" to form a diagonal wall, on which there is another door. To the left, right up against the north wall, a passage leads east. You can see another door where this passage begins, on the north hand side, but cannot see how long the passage is, or where it ends.

Herman and posse head fro the door on the diagonal wall, open it and move to the door beyond. The boys followed Maurice as far as he went previously, and so when they come to the corridor that ends in a turn, they'll wait for everyone else. Maces ready, shields strapped to arms, and a prayer on their lips, with torches raised high, pushing back the darkness that threatens to consume all.

Okay, done. You pass through the door on the diagonal wall. There is a passage to your left that goes 20 feet to a dead end, and a door directly in front of you, to the south.

Milner would like to gingerly explore the dead end, prodding the floor with his pitchfork and looking about in the torchlight. Any obscured passages or features of interest?

Trio plus dog listening carefully before slowly opening the south door.

The area Milner enters looks as though it has become a trash-tip of sorts for old bones, bits of brick, shreds of grave clothes, and torch stubs. There also seem to be a fair number of rat droppings amid the whole, but no sign of another passage that he can see.

Listening at the door, Toothy Herman hears nothing. Opening the door, he can see a brick-lined corridor, 10 feet wide. After 10 feet of passage, the whole turns to the right.

"Gently now, lads," Herman says to Avery and Girt. He looks back at the rest of the party and waves them up as he moves around the corner, heading right.