Session 42: Another Phantasm Emerges from the Darkness

Our little group today consisted of Gnorcia (and Arnd), Tatania (and Kyro), Lhoss (and Hilja), Armaziti, and the sudden but welcome reappearance of Blizzard the monk. We left the room that serves as a Temple of St. Cuthbert and traveled back through the large room with pillars, where we had battled brigands the day before. This time we headed into the north hallway where we remembered our previous victory in a large room to the east with yet another group of brigands from the Black Hand. This time, however, we went west and Lhoss opened a door on the south side of the hallway into a large room filled with burial crypts, and with a strange map on the floor.

The group quickly sketched out the map for future reference, then began combing through the crypts, searching for treasure. We also noticed that all the bones in this crypt had been laid out in unusual arrangements, with the legs, skulls, arms, and really all the bones out of their usual positions. We discovered a ring with a red ruby and a topaz. Armaziti considered trying on the ring but decided against it, so Lhoss plucked it from his hand and tried it on herself. It was pretty, but seemed to be just a ring. For a moment she thought it was stuck on her finger, but it was just a snug fit and came off with some gentle twisting. The ring and the topaz were added to the bag of holding and we decided to search the large room further. We spread out through it, but as we searched much of the floor, ceiling, and walls and didn’t find anything interesting, we soon grew bored and wandered back out into the hallway.

Heading north through another hallway, we noticed an open door on the east wall into a room that we had not investigated before. Tatania, Blizzard and I entered and found lots of rubble about the floor. Tatania pulled out a broom from her pack and began sweeping vigorously. I started searching through the rubble and found a small flawed black sapphire, which was added to the bag of holding. I also tried in vain to collect some nails from a broken keg, but they all broke off and crumbled. A search of the east wall turned up nothing interesting and the sweeping was creating a lot of dust in the room, so Blizzard and I headed back out to see what the others were doing.

We followed around a corner and found Lhoss, Arnd, and Armaziti investigating another room through an archway to the west. Inside there was a plinth set into the floor with the word “Solace” written on it and a carving of a sun in the ceiling overhead. Armaziti recognized it as the name of the god of the sun, but was hesitant to step onto it. Lhoss was most curious, however, and stepped up, then felt drawn to look upward toward the sun carving. Thinking she should make an offering to Solace, she took out a gold piece and held it over her head, but as she did she felt compelled to lift both arms toward the ceiling. As she reached upward, she felt a wonderful feeling and stumbled back off the plinth, her face a picture of joy and bliss. All I knew was this god didn’t take her gold piece, so I immediately jumped up on the plinth and raised my arms. Wow! What bliss I felt flow through me! I stumbled off the plinth as the blessing coursed through me. Slowly, each of the party followed and received the same blessing, Armaziti at the last.

From there we turned to another door at the west end of the hall and Lhoss opened it to find another room full of crypts. We entered and began searching for treasure in the burial chambers. I got lucky and found a small bag with 6 platinum, along with some sort of lever. The lever was jammed solidly into place and although most of us tried, no amount of pushing would move it. Armaziti then noticed something strange in the wall just north of the crypt with the lever. There seemed to be a handhold of some sort, and as he pushed on it, the wall slid back to reveal another room!

On the floor of the room there was a series of indentations, and something matching them on the ceiling above. Tatiana investigated but as I looked more closely at them I noticed a plate on the floor behind them. It covered the width of the room and appeared to be a pressure plate of some kind. We considered triggering it, but Lhoss decided instead to use her pole to vault over it. She got safely to the other side and couldn’t see anything interesting there so she vaulted back. But Blizzard was very curious about the pressure plate so she and Lhoss took out two of our 10-foot poles and decided to work together to trigger it.

As they pressed on the plate, the lever popped back in the direction we couldn’t push it before and a portcullis rolled down into place, blocking off the room and opening another doorway in the back! Suddenly there was a horrifying ghostly figure moving toward us! It was a phantasm, the likes of which we had hoped never to see again. Terrified, we all took a step back, but as the phantom moved toward us it appeared to be trapped behind the portcullis! Blizzard got out her magical crossbow and was going to shoot at it until she realized the bolts weren’t magical and would likely go right through it. Instead, Tatiana cast magic missiles at the creature and hit it! Armaziti tried to use his turn undead ability and was unable to affect it, but Tatiana hit it a second time with more magic missiles. Then Hilja hit it with faerie fire, turning it to glowing blue, and I was able to attack it with my new color spray spell. The phantasm fell to the floor, stunned! We were out of spell attacks but the creature was down so Arnd ran and pulled back on the lever, raising the portcullis. Armaziti swung the hammer Melissa over his head and smashed it down on the creature and damaging it further, and I ran around to its back, swiping down through its ghostly shape as I screamed, “Slicer!”, bestowing that name on the blade. The phantasm shivered and then vanished! It was defeated!

We all moved toward the back of the room where the phantasm has emerged from and found another long room with some sort of figure at the end of it. I carefully investigated as I stepped forward and discovered a pit in the center of the room, but there was just enough space along each wall for Lhoss and I to shimmy past it. Creeping forward, we saw that the figure at the far end of the room was a collapsed human, clasping a small silver coffer. I quickly slipped over to the corpse and slid the coffer from its hands. The box clinked as if there were another metal object inside. "Coins!" I thought. But as I opened it, something even more interesting was inside: a small silver key. I slid the key onto my key ring, adding it to the key collection, and deposited the coffer in the bag of holding.

Session 41: Day 11 of Planting: Sweet Revenge

 This week's roster of adventurers: Tatania and Kyro (Christa), Lhoss and Hilja (Leigh), Gnorcia and Arnd (Lillian), Armaziti (Alex), Hodor (Thomas), Adelbertus (Daniel), DM (Quint)

Lhoss was able to rejoin the group and was mildly irritated at missing out on such a large haul of treasure from the previous day's exploits. The members of our band seem to be ever shifting. In fact, Hodor must have sent some sort of magical dispatch, as his brother Adelbertus joined us seemingly out of thin air. Alas, there was no sign of Squirbo. But I wonder if anyone would be surprised if that friendly squirrel blinked into existence. Aramaziti appeared to have a quiet suspicion of Adelbertus. Aramaziti has been our sole cleric for some time and sharing the honor and duty of bestowing healing blessings seems to irk him.

As ever, the tomb was unnervingly quiet.  Tatania decided to examine a pile of crumbled red brick in the hallway. There was nothing of interest other than a few small beetles that scampered from the mess. Beyond the pile was an empty room; we moved on. Gnorcia came upon a door and pressed her ear to it. On the other side she heard a muffled voice. The door appeared safe to open, so she did. Behind the door was a pile of rubble from a collapsed wall and another door, but no source for the voice. They moved to the door.

Lhoss opened the door and saw an empty hall. Creeping out and peering around the first corner revealed another empty hall and the corner at the end of the hall led to an alcove filled with burial chambers. There were twenty small, circular chambers that had been sealed with clay. Lhoss cracked through the first one and discovered remains. In fact many of the chambers held no treasure, only bones. Others joined the search and it was Kyro who discovered the only valuables: a silver (and magical) dagger, silver earrings, and 115 copper coins. There was some discussion about who would take the dagger. Lhoss advocated strenuously that a thief should be the one to use the magical weapon since they would be most adept with it. As Gnorcia had been with the party longest without receiving such a beneficial tool, it was bestowed to her. 

Retreating back to the door around the first corner, Adelbertus attempted to open it. Lhoss called out that he should wait until it had been examined for traps. This barrowmaze has had many traps and a newcomer might not know how dangerous flinging open doors willy-nilly might be. Lhoss examined the door closely and feeling safe, took the opportunity to open the door herself. Was it a clever gambit to keep someone else from doing her most beloved task? Who can say? Regardless, inside the team was met with yet another pile of rubble. For some reason, the fact that they could not determine where the pile of stone, dust, bone, and debris came from was intriguing to Gnorica, Tatania, and Lhoss. They prodded the pile but found no immediate answers. Lhoss grew bored and gave up while Gnorcia and Tatania continued to dig through the debris. With nothing of value being found, the task was finally abandoned. The group also decided to examine the walls of the room, but their activities must have alerted others to their presence because they soon heard muffled voices on the other side of the door.

The party held back and suddenly the door was thrown open to show seven bandits. The bandits asked who we were and what we were doing here. Lhoss proclaimed "We have been given the sacred duty to cleanse this barrowmaze of the evil that has taken hold here!" The bandits chuckled and attempted to extort our heroes. Pay a ransom to avoid attack. Hearing these words, Lhoss felt her heart stop. She called out "Are you the Band of the Black Hand?" they replied "Yes". Lhoss, anger and resentment bubbling up yelled back "I hate you guys!" It was clear there would be no payout; the battle was on!

Hilja, hoping to show her value to the party cast a spell called faerie fire. It placed a green glowing light around five of the enemies, making them easier for our heroes to hit. But Tatania didn't need help striking the first bad guy with her magic missile, downing him immediately. Lhoss could feel her blood pounding in her ears. She was transported back to her first encounter with the Band of the Black Hand. She recalled preparing her sleep spell and being critically hit with a sling stone. She recalled drifting in and out of consciousness as her compatriots, her friends were beaten down by this wicked crew. She knew that they had been forced to pay double the original ransom to escape with their lives. The shame and anger she had felt were growing, surpassing their original levels. Here was her chance for vengeance and she would not waste it. 

Now, seeing red, Lhoss lit one of her oil vials and lobbed it toward the back of the enemy pack. It landed squarely on the head of one man, drenching him in liquid fire and killing him immediately, with some hot oil splashing onto two others and injuring them. In a fit of righteous indignation and in an attempt to intimidate the foes, Lhoss cried out "We're gonna loot your corpses!" Aramaziti, wielding the powerful Melissa, slammed her directly into the chest of one bandit, felling him. These guys were dropping like flies! Arnd, showing some mischievousness, winked at one bandit and attacked with his mace. Unfortunately, he didn't connect and was rewarded with a vicious return attack from the bandits. Our next volley of attack further devastated the wicked crew with Hoddour gutting one with his dagger, Kyro dealing a deadly shot through another's neck, and Lhoss ending another with a backstab beneath his ribs and a cry of "I'm getting my money back!". With the screams of the dying echoing through the chamber, the last remaining bandit appeared to surrender. It was suggested that he should be questioned. Disarmed and on his knees, Lhoss held a dagger to his throat and growled "Give me a reason not to kill you." The man, shaking and near soiling himself answered all the queries put to him. Marcus was the leader of this group. The Black Hand's main leader is Darius. Their hideout can be found by following the path about 1 mile to a tree with a distinctive knot and following another trail approximately 1/2 mile to their camp, where reside 40-50 men. Realizing for the first time that this is not one of the men who had so easily bested our heroes before (although of the same group), Lhoss softened a little and decided to let this man go. But sensing they could be an easy target if more of the Black Hand return, she issued him a warning: "Your band have bested us once; we have slaughtered your men in return. Do not pursue us. We have powers that you cannot comprehend. We have been charged with a holy task. If I ever see your ugly face again, I will gouge out your eyeballs and flay the skin from your body." With that, she released her grip and the bandit hastily retreated.

As the team was counting up the gold that they recovered from the bandits, a scream was heard from elsewhere in the barrowmaze, but it was not investigated. The rest of the group was a bit taken back by Lhoss' cutthroat behavior and speech to the bandit. They had not understood the depth of her grudge and Lhoss herself had not been aware of the dark places it would take her. Surely this would not be the last they saw of the Black Hand. 

The group realized that they were in a part of the barrowmaze they had explored before and were close to the room dedicated to St. Cuthbert. It was agreed that room would be a safe place to rest and recover before continuing on.