Barrowmaze V: Expanding Dark Horizons

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth grabs his 9 torches and starts building a Pyre around the troll. "We need to make sure all of it gets burned, anything that will burn needs to get into the fire." He then begins cutting the troll up into pieces so it all ends up in the fire.

[OGRE MAGE]

All three Sven's are somewhat shocked by the lethality of the two rounds of combat, glad his companions fared as well as they did.

"Orgoth is right! We need to dispose of this thing quickly before it heals itself again like those damn skeletons."

Sven will order the help to chop off the head, arms, and legs from the torso and spread them apart on the floor. As he watches them wiggle back towards each other, he almost barfs at the sight.

"We can use these bunks, furniture, and mattresses to make a fire instead of our torches. Lets get a blaze going before it's too late."

Hoping Gabby might have a say in the matter, the trio walks back into that room, making sure to chock the door this time.

"Say, Gabby. I don't suppose you fancy a bite or two of troll meat, do you? We had to kill one in this next room and now we need to do away with it's body as quickly as we can."

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors.

Box troll bunk room.
June 7th 1066.

Hoping Gabby might have a say in the matter, the trio walks back into that room, making sure to chock the door this time.

"Say, Gabby. I don't suppose you fancy a bite or two of troll meat, do you? We had to kill one in this next room and now we need to do away with it's body as quickly as we can."

The door from bunk room to temple room is locked. Your key fits the lock on the temple side not the bunk room side. You can call to Gabby but receive no answer.

Treyvor had unlocked the western door. Neither of the talented rogue skilled can unlock the thick door.

The team make a sandwich of straw mattress, troll pieces and bunk bed slats. Coated in copious amounts of lantern oil and set ablaze despite Sven's previous warning of such actions to Truro. But needs must and a pyre is hastily built. The black smoke will drive you from the room, the heat excessive as the troll melts to far and regenerates only to frazzle and shrivel.

Going west you enter a F-shaped passage. The corridor goes 20'ft before joining a passage that goes N-S. It goes north 30'ft and turns E into a 10'ft alcove. Going south, there is a standard swollen maze door after 10'ft. The western wall of the N-S passage is dotted with irregular shaped burial alcoves. Some are round, some square, semi-circular, some deep enough to take a body, others just the length of a searching arm. The wall is covered in old cobwebs and lichen giving the impression the alcoves have not been attended to in a long while. Among the alcove bones several normal sized rats scurry away from your arrival and the leaking black smoke that wafts a fragrance of roasting troll.

You are progressing into deeper unknown territory. Dark corridors with a fetid, musty atmosphere and chill air.

actions please

[OGRE MAGE]

Oops! Sorry for my misread on the doors.

Sven takes a closer look at the box the troll popped out of, smashing the stone hand off the rest of the statue so it can be taken along. (Was the other hand missing completely? Or did we see fragments of it on the ground?) Against his better judgement, he sets a very small chunk of the dead troll back into the box.

Happy to get away from the burning stench and black smoke, Sven has the thieves check the south door in the new hallway, hoping it leads to a nice comfortable Inn or something.

"Lets check these alcoves while we're here, but be wary of the rats and all the stuff growing on the walls."

Using his staff, he prods around in the smaller holes that cant be looked into with ease, trying to fish out any goodies that still remain.

"We need to get Orgoth some healing before we run into anything worse."

[OGRE MAGE]

Kills
10 Black Hand Skeletons
1 Troll

Loot
A scratched ruby ring from a dead man's finger
A carved owl about the size of a hand made from a blue-green flurospar
Two wine bottles
Scroll- Chant
Minotaur Skull
6 Sapphire (shards 1/2 value)
Wooden ring made from dark ebony and inset with a large orange fiery tiger eye gemstone (Sven's Finger)
Go back for Candelabra?
(Bring Catnip for Gabby)

Troll in the Box?


Amos 10/13 CLW x3, Shield, Read Magic. (Arcantryl domain spells).
Truro 4/5. Light (Ygg domain spell) CLW x3

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[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors.

I will add more as the searches and listening will give you more to decide upon.

Alcove searches (61).[1d8]=6[1d8]=5[1d8]=2[1d8]=8[1d8]=1

The bunk room / temple room connecting door securely locked, the troll roasting into ashes, the corridor and alcoves searched.

Smokie plays rat-a-attack with any rodents that scurry from the alcoves as you search the niche depths. The lupine vs rodent encounter favours him 10-1, with just a tail bite for his troubles. No giant or wererat varieties come forth, just juicy, long tailed morsels that he can munch upon.

Five guys search alcoves, two check out the southern door, one watches for dangers from behind. Among assorted burial offerings, the team gather a small swag sack of various trinkets.

Alcove swag bag: 501sp. A silver bladed Poinard, the slim dagger has a pommel with inset masked face design, like a bandanna wearing highwayman. Coloured glass vases and several ceramic figurines. A rolled up leather parchment bearing a 'Last Will & Testament', stamped by the Rosy Quartz. A dozen bolts suitable for a light or hand held crossbow.

The goods look to have a basic 'bazaar tabletop' value.

The door opens away from you, into a small chamber. It is almost 30'ft across, your entrance door in the middle of the north wall and a second door stands closed in the middle of the Western wall. Rather than being a square room, the top NW and NE corners are cut across as a diagonal, making the room six sided not four. In the middle of the east wall, there is a portion of rubble. It looks as though the wall was deliberately excavated rather than it being an unstable portion as you can see some iron rings attached to the wall beyond the excavation, as if somebody was chained inside then bricked in by a false wall.

Though not in use now, the room looks to have had basic modifications done to it. A few iron sconces stuck into the walls at height could bear torches or hold lanterns. On one wall several coat pegs. A small mirror hangs in another corner, underneath it a large bowl and shaving utensils, old and rusted razors. There are a couple of long benches and a single wooden rocking chair with tattered upholstery.

At least you can sit and take the weight from your legs.

Listening at the western door, Amos hushes you. There are voices beyond, not directly behind the door, perhaps a short distance away or down following passages. The voices sound human, giving short commands such as "come here, stay there, fetch me that." After a minute some hammering upon a wall, bricks and rubble being moved. A "huzzah" shout of celebration, footsteps retreat. Silence.

actions

Sven and his Troll-in-a-box.

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth waits quietly and listens.

Can we still cast detect magic?

[OGRE MAGE]

Love the pic!

If the chance for spell failure goes up after each casting, let's collect some more stuff before we detect for magic again.

Sven whispers to the others as they work, taking a closer look at the area in the wall that appears excavated. "I wonder what happened here."

"Remember the other times we saw things roaming around in these hallways? The plate mail knight behind the one portcullis and the shambling figure in the room near our entrance? I wonder if this new noise is another permanent resident of this place? I guess we will find out eventually."

"This room looks like it was lived in as well at one point. Lets take a quick break in here and then keep searching the halls."

[OGRE MAGE]

Kills
10 Black Hand Skeletons
1 Troll

Loot
A scratched ruby ring from a dead man's finger
A carved owl about the size of a hand made from a blue-green flurospar
Two wine bottles
Scroll- Chant
Minotaur Skull
6 Sapphire (shards 1/2 value)
Wooden ring made from dark ebony and inset with a large orange fiery tiger eye gemstone (Sven's Finger)
Go back for Candelabra?
(Bring Catnip for Gabby)
Troll in the Box?
Alcove swag bag:
501sp.
A silver bladed Poinard, the slim dagger has a pommel with inset masked face design, like a bandanna wearing highwayman.
Coloured glass vases and several ceramic figurines.
A rolled up leather parchment bearing a 'Last Will & Testament', stamped by the Rosy Quartz.
A dozen bolts suitable for a light or hand held crossbow.


Amos 10/13 CLW x3, Shield, Read Magic. (Arcantryl domain spells).
Truro 4/5. Light (Ygg domain spell) CLW x3

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[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

This room along with the passage and Box troll room becomes a little haven for a few hours.

I would be fine with you taking a couple of hours rest and using that time to restore some erased spells.

With intrepidation, the Box-troll room is looked in just to make sure the troll remnants are burned beyond regeneration (despite the temptations to do so, I am going to assume you don't actually open the gargoyle hand chest to peek inside ...).
The bunks, straw, table, frazzled troll bones have made an awful mess. Thick soot smears the walls and ceiling from the pyre but the room, in need of fresh air and cleaning could still be used.

The Mercenaries cook up lunch, using the alcove at the top of the passage. Investigators check out the room excavation. Alarmingly you do realise it is a rebuilt facade and to the left and right of the gap, you can see more chained skeleton figures dangling from chains attached to iron rings. Your lantern light does not trigger any undead animations though. It looks as though six figures were chained up and one in the middle was released, escape, broke out, rescued? The wall is not a new construction, it looks as old as the rest of the tomb. Certainly the chained bodies are not serving any purpose as guards such as the skeletons in the alcoves of the Silas Barrow did.

There is no pick or sledgehammers about unless you bought one (though the gnomish pick-bows could hack through the wall more slowly). An unarmoured and skinny fellow might be able to squeeze through the gap between the back wall and false one.

As folk mill about, lunching, fellowshipping, studying, putting feet up for the break; suddenly you hear a creak.

"Creak" for effect.

Then another, several more. The rocking chair moves under its own compulsion then stops. A cackling laughter echoes in the room, plates move, tankards get overturned, then silence.

It seems to be an isolated incident for whatever poltergeist activity it was, it does not repeat.

any further actions in these rooms?

[Rex]

Orgoth

Orgoth just tries to get as good a rest as possible.

[OGRE MAGE]

In the downtime, is it possible for the clerics to pray for any CLW's back?

If so, Sven will study his Magic Missile spell once again, adding it back into his repertoire.

Sven has Smokie sniff around in the slim alcove holding the skeletons. If the familiar finds nothing amiss, the mage will doff his pack and gear to try to slip inside for a quick search. "I have no idea why they would do such a thing in here."

"Okaaaaaay, the stuff moving around by itself is a little weird. Anyone see anything off in here? Another effect of being inside the Barrowmaze too long, maybe?"

Since they are essentially trapped in here at the moment, if there is nothing more to discover in this room, he gets the group back on track to continue their explorations.

[Rex]

Orgoth

"Nope, just the weird rocker, probably a ghost, hopefully friendly."

[Spearmint]

Exploring the Corridors

7th June 1066.

You added a swag bag of saleable trinkets and a potential 'troll trap' in a hand held chest. Using time to study, you can commit to memory erased spells or even use the time to renew memory of spells cast but retained, thereby negating any cumulative casting difficulty check. Amos can restore the Shield spell he cast as it comes under the magic domain of Arcantryl but not receive any clerical spells back. The surplus study and devotional time can be offset however from future devotional time, so that the clerics need less preparation as a single block in the morning.

The bricked up bodies are sniffed at by Smokie. They reek of death and rot but crucial not of undeath. The clerics suggest if ever the room was used to any degree in the longer term, it would be good to inter the bodies more suitably.

After one bout of possible poltergeist activity moving the rocking chair, there is no further interruption though it adds to the atmosphere of unease.

The only way is forward and that is through the door in the western wall. It opens inwards and peer through before you open it too much, observing a long corridor proceeding west. More than a hundred feet away, a lantern light dimly burns, like a candle in the dark. 20'ft from the door is another typical crypt door in the north wall of the passage, an arch of stonework framing a panelled door reinforced with iron hinges. About 50'ft away, more excavated rubble is strewn across the floor.

The dim lantern light is the only flickering movement in a dark, chill passage. Shutting the door you confer over how you progress.

next actions do you all follow in file, maybe have a couple stay in the 'Poltergeist room'
as a fall back position, just send a couple of scouts ahead?

cross off -6 oil flasks from the group supplies and --6 torches to cover time in the maze.

Status:

Sven 13/13
Orgoth 5/23
Amos 10/13 Shield, Read Magic.(Arcantryl domain spells). Detect Evil, CLW's x3
Truro 4/5. Light (Ygg domain spell), Detect Evil, CLW x3
Gnimish 8/9
Treyvor 6/6
Bucko 5/8
Yardie 8/8
Smokie full health.

[Rex]

Orgoth

To Amos and Truro, "How much longer would we need to rest to get some healing back?"

[OGRE MAGE]

cross off -6 oil flasks from the group supplies and --6 torches to cover time in the maze.

Done

If there is time, Sven will cast his Detect Magic over the items we just found, then memorize that spell again.

Sven agrees with the logic of the clerics about moving the skeletons at some point.

“That flickering light down there is interesting. I wonder if it is similar to this magic lantern we found in the first hallway we ever searched.”

Looking at the groups injuries, the mage suggests a scouting crew investigate this hallway initially. He has an idea.

Calling forth his Unseen Servant before making himself invisible as well, Sven agrees to scout the passage out while the rest of the crew watches them closely from the doorway.

He instructs his Servant to move along ahead of them about 10 feet, tapping the floor with the pole, while Sven and Smokie follow along invisibly.

“Take it easy till we return, but if we should run into any trouble down there, please come rescue us.”

1st Level Spell Retention (INT 15) [4d6+1]=13+1=14
2nd Level Spell Retention (INT 15) [4d6+2]=12+2=14

[Spearmint]

If there is time, Sven will cast his Detect Magic over the items we just found, then memorize that spell again.

During the rest period you gaze over the trove collected. The Minotaur head has a faint aura, some residual blessing or enchantment imbued within it. Gabby has said if you took Moo-moo, you would not get lost. Perhaps it has some compass or orienteering trait.

You have a ring, taken from under the bone pile. It shrank or enlarged to fit so that is already an indicator of some enchantment. The inset gem is fiery and orange, like a flame. It has no inscription or runes visible. You might have to 'trial & error' experiment or use an Identify to discover more.

How much longer would we need to rest to get some healing back?"

"Tomorrow dawn." is the reply.

Sven summons his unseen sidekick which uses a pole (Amos quarterstaff?) to prod ahead slightly in advance to trigger any trip wires, pressure plates and pit traps. Behind Sven and Smokie, both invisible sneak along.

Sven you carry the Everlit Candle but rather than cast light, you can dim it completely and use the wolf's vision through empathetic Familiar link.

So the trio explore. As described before, a few feet away is a door set in the north wall. On the south just after an obvious entrance that has been ad-hoc blocked up with cemented rubble.

Proceeding to the strewn rubble, you step over several masonry blocks that have come from a breach in the north wall. Inside is a square chamber, rotten in smell. Bones and rags inside, a charnel-house smell. The scent is still fresh enough for Smokie to sniff going further down the corridor.

Several rats, scurry away from the tapping staff. They go up a side corridor only to run down again, others file under a broken crypt door on the south wall.

The flickering light at the end of the corridor is a dimmed lantern set just back from an archway. Two side passages and several doors present options for investigation.

Sven actions please

[OGRE MAGE]

I was actually referring to these new items for the Detect Magic:

Alcove swag bag
501sp.
A silver bladed Poinard, the slim dagger has a pommel with inset masked face design, like a bandanna wearing highwayman.
Coloured glass vases and several ceramic figurines.
A rolled up leather parchment bearing a 'Last Will & Testament', stamped by the Rosy Quartz.
A dozen bolts suitable for a light or hand held crossbow.

No pings?

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven has his Servant move up to the lantern and pick it up.

If nothing happens, he inspects the item closely before returning to the others with it.

“What do you make of this? I’m starting to think we aren’t the only ones looking around in here.”

[Spearmint]

I was actually referring to these new items for the Detect Magic:

Alcove swag bag: No pings?

no pings.

The Long Corridor.

Several rats, scurry away from the tapping staff. They go up a side corridor only to run down again, others file under a broken crypt door on the south wall.

Invisible Sven trespasses beyond the rubble and the smelly room. You look northwards up the side corridor as you direct the unseen servant to pick up the lantern. As above, the rats split and some ran under the last door, others scurried up the north passage only to turn furry tails and run back down, past you and Smokie and follow the swarm under the door. The reason the rats run back down is soon seen as three figures shamble around a corner at the top, ushered by a fourth figure bearing a priestly habit.

If nothing happens,

As the servant picks up the lantern and returns up the passage, the moving light is noticed by an unseen (but not invisible) figure who is located in a second side passage by the lantern. A voice shouts, "Hey!" as the lantern is taken away. You get the brief sight of a human face scowling in surprise before shouting his conclusion. "The ghosts are back!"

A thud of a crossbow bolt sticks in a wall nearby.

The lantern and still tippy-tapping staff proceed down the long corridor to the end door. It opens under its own compulsion (or so it seems) and shuts behind as the zombie trio and priest enter the corridor behind.

Indeed you are not alone.

actions please