Arnd (NPC), Armaziti, Calbach, Chiki (NPC), Gnorcia, Lhoss,
Preparing to leave Orlane and go back to the barrowmaze, we heard a rumor that there had been more raids along the road. It was a drizzly morning as we headed out toward the dim forest but we were pleased to find the road was now patrolled a little better by the sheriffs from Orlane. We traveled for the day, through the eerily quiet dim forest, finally reaching the barrowmaze and its gloomy darkness again.
Instead of going straight into the mound with the maze entrance, we poked around a bit and Lhoss began examining some of the mounds. First she found one that had a large and seemingly-ancient stone protruding from the mound. It was worn down and had a great skull on top of it, along with runes in a language none of us could understand. Sharp, dry, weedy grass grew around it in some unnatural-looking grey dirt.
Lhoss looked around at another mound and found one with a well-sealed rock entrance. She suggested we try to break it down so Calbach and Arnd started bashing on the door with our new sledgehammers. After about 10 minutes of a great racket with the sledgehammers, we noticed 12 men approaching. They wore armor, some leather, some chainmail, and one who appeared to be their leader was wearing plate armor. They all wore black robes and were carrying shields, swords, clubs, and slings.
As they approached the leader spoke to us, saying they were the Band of the Black Hand and demanding that we pay for protection. We refused, of course, and Lhoss tried to cast a sleep spell but several in the back started slinging stones at her, knocking her unconscious. They then charged at us! Three attacked Calbach, who was seriously injured. Armaziti bound up Lhoss’ wounds before she could bleed out and I cast phantasmal force in the large shape of the demon god Orcus. Several of the men were fooled into believing the phantasm and it knocked out two of them, who fell to the ground as if they were dead. One of the men, however, was not fooled and he yelled at the others, saying it was just an illusion. Our phantasm revealed and two of our party seriously wounded, we begrudgingly decided to pay 20gp each to send them on their way. They took our gold and faded back into the mist of the valley.
Armaziti healed Lhoss and Calbach and we decided to finish breaking down the door. Inside we found a wooden funerary casket in the shape of a man on a dais in the center of the room. Eight wall sconces with decorated amphorae lined the walls. We collected the pots and wrapped them up, placing them in the bag of holding. Apparently the humans could tell that whoever was buried there was a good person and they were not willing to disturb the casket so we decided to leave and head into the barrowmaze.
Back inside the large center mound and down the rope into the barrowmaze, Chiki suggested we head west down the hallway. We all agreed and found an iron door on the south wall. It opened to reveal a horrific smell. After coughing and spitting, we peered in and spotted two corpses impaled on the wall, their guts spilled out and eaten by something! We quickly closed the door and retreated back to the hallway. Across the hall was another door and Lhoss happily opened it. Arnd marched in and across the room to the north wall where there was a message scratched on the wall in charcoal. I followed as he read the message out loud: “Make no sound. They will seek you out.” I tried repeatedly to shush him but it took a minute before the meaning of the message got through his thick skull. Nothing happened, however, and we decided to stay in the room and re-memorize spells.
Finishing that, we went back out in the hall and noticed that the floor of the hallway to the west had about an inch of what appeared to be flour dusted across it. I was disgusted that someone would waste perfectly good biscuit-making flour by dumping it on the floor in a crypt. Calbach first poked at it with a pole and it moved easily like flour would, so I got out my goblin hat and dusted a path through it so we could pass without leaving tracks. A bit farther down the hall, we found another door with the familiar iron bands on it and Calbach opened it to reveal a room full of giant rats! He tried to slam the door shut but it was stuck and the rats turned to attack us. Lhoss cast her sleep spell and only three of them managed to evade it. We quickly dispatched the remaining rats, squished the sleeping ones, and finally Armaziti was able to get the door unstuck and closed so Lhoss could re-memorize her sleep spell.
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