We ate a quick dinner and determined that we needed to head out and back to Orlane for the night. As we paused to make a final survey of the room, Adelbertus noticed a light coming from the west and Calbach whispered that there was a large group of people approaching that looked like Band of the Black Hand. We quickly retreated inside and closed the door, which shut with a convincing click, and we could no longer hear anything outside the room. The darkness seemed to close in and shadows on the walls danced a little higher in the torchlight. As we sat to rememorize some spells, we were distracted by the gloom of the encroaching dungeon walls and it took a little longer than usual. “Safely” locked in there, we considered spending one last night in the Barrowmaze but eventually decided that would be foolish after the recent warnings not to do so. We determined to get back to Orlane. Since it was now over an hour since we had spotted the group with the torches, we used the key and Tatania’s knock spell to reopen the door. Peeking out, we could see what we thought to be a torch light reflecting off the walls to the east, but nothing else.
As we began filing out of the room in our marching order, Armaziti heard a sound behind him and turned to see a group of beetles with glowing antennae coming up quickly from behind. We all began to run and in the rush there a was a bit of confusion about where we were going. The rest of the group headed through the room to the west and turned down the hallway to the south, but Arnd and myself went past that hallway and were quickly overtaken by four beetles. I attacked one with my dagger, Vengeance, and did some damage, but Arnd swung and missed. More beetles had turned down the hallway following the rest of the group and Tatania hit one with a magic missile, Lhoss hit another with her dagger, and Armaziti quickly destroyed one with his warhammer, Melissa. Ronan swung at one but slipped in beetle gore and missed. Fortunately, Calbach shot an arrow that swished past Ronan and killed it. I swung at the beetle in front of me again, slicing its head right off, and this time Arnd connected as well. Some of the others then came back and began to attack the beetles that were on us. Calback shot another arrow and hit one as Lhoss swung and missed.
Just then, Armaziti yelled out that he could see yet another light coming toward us from the east. Anxious to take out the beetles quickly, Adelbertus slipped on some gore as he attacked, but Tatania shot another magic missile and destroyed the beetle he missed. Just then a large group of the Band of the Black Hand came running in, swinging their short swords and screaming that they were going to take everything we had! I counted eleven of them!
One attacked and missed Adelbertus but another hit him as two more attacked Tatania and injured her. Another entered the hallway where Armaziti was lurking, but missed him in the dark. Another pair of them jumped in to help that one and one hit the cleric as he was beginning to cast an attack spell, interrupting it. Tatania tried to hit the one in front of her and missed just as one of the two beetles that were attacking me managed to get in a bite and did some bad damage. Angry in the pain, I stabbed right through its chitinous head, killing it. Arnd—using what he keeps claiming is now his signature move—sliced the belly of the beetle in front of him, gutting it. Lhoss attacked one of the band with a magic missile and Calbach shot two arrows at the same but missed. Adelbertus quickly spun around and attempted to bash the two band members that were on his back, but also missed. One of them then hit him with their sword, knocking him unconscious as two of them attacked and hit Tatania, knocking her out as well.
The band pressed their attack, taunting the rest of us as they did, and we felt a fearful gloom settle in. Were we going to make it out of there alive?!? One of the band hit Armaziti, but those that attacked Ronan, Arnd and myself missed their attacks. Ronan threw a burning vial of oil and it hit a dungeon wall, splashing back and burning some of the Black Hand. Armaziti swung and missed one of his attackers just as I swung at the last beetle, slicing its head off. Arnd missed his attack yet again but as he did, Hilja, Kyro, and Adalaen suddenly appeared behind the band members we were fighting!
Encouraged by the sudden appearance of friends, Calbach grabbed his short sword, swung around, and attacked the bandit that was on Arnd, slaying him in one hit! Hilja immediately cast Faerie Fire on the three who were attacking Armaziti, bathing them in a purple glow and making them more vulnerable to attacks, and Adalean began throwing darts, nearly killing one of that group. Kyro quickly ran forward and bandaged Tatania, stopping her from bleeding out.
Armaziti swung and missed again, but Adalaen threw yet another dart, slaying that band member. Kyro then crawled over and bandaged Adelbertus, who was bleeding out in the middle of the hallway. As he did, Ronan backhanded one the the guys on him, then hit him in the head with his cudgel. Hoping to turn the tide of battle, I did my best to conjure a terrifying phantasm but apparently it wasn’t quite terrifying enough and none of the band believed my illusion. Curses! Calbach attacked the last guy on Arnd, killing him, and Arnd leaped forward in an attempt to kill one of them that was attacking Lhoss, but slipped on one of the beetles and missed his attack.
Back in the hallway, Adalaen continued throwing darts and hit another of the remaining two attacking Armaziti. The cleric turned to hold his shield against his attackers, but it was too late. They hit him and knocked him unconscious! The two attacking Ronan both managed to hit him again, but the two on Arnd and Lhoss missed. Adalean cast a magic missile, hitting one of the attackers on Armaziti just in time for Hilja to step forward and take him down with her staff. I screamed “Vengeance!” as I leapt on the back of another bandit that was pressing an attack on Calbach. The dagger plunged into the man's shoulder, taking him to his knees. Lhoss swung and missed just as Arnd attacked the other, finally scoring a hit with his broadsword, Bonesplitter.
His attackers vanquished, Ronan ran into the hallway to bandage Armaziti, and didn’t fail to notice Hilja there. He took his time, flexing as he twisted the bandages around the bleeding cleric and barely noticing another enemy who was still there and who took a swing at the distracted warrior. Ronan tried to retaliate but missed as Adalaen stepped forward and got in yet another hit with a dart.
Back in the other hall, two attackers remained standing, one on Lhoss and the other on Arnd. Lhoss took a final hit and fell, unconscious, as Kyro ran forward and attacked the other, hitting him from behind and taking him down. Angered to see Lhoss fall, I leapt on the back of her attacker, killing him. Calbach then sprinted out to Ronan’s defense and finished off the last of the band of attackers.
Exhausted from the battle, we dug through the bag of holding and used our one recently-discovered healing potion on Adelbertus. He immediately recovered but it appears his right knee is now so damaged that his ability to walk has been permanently slowed. Adelbertus in turn healed me, Tatania, and Lhoss, who also has a nasty gash in her side that looks permanent and will likely affect her ability to swing her weapon.
Anxious to get out of the Barrowmaze before anything else could attack us, we hurriedly built a stretcher for the bandaged but severely-injured and cursed Armaziti. He was beginning to mutter and twitch as if tortured by the undead. Terrified and running out to the dungeon entrance as quickly as we could, the group felt a shadow of fear come over us. We dragged ourselves and Armaziti as quickly as possible (which wasn’t all that fast) back to Orlane and over to the Temple of Merikka, arriving just before morning.
The guards must have been sleepy as they thought at first to turn us away, but we reminded them that we are the Saviors of Orlane and they scuttled off to fetch Priestess Misha. She soon came gliding out of the temple, looking a bit disheveled and sighed deeply as she examined poor Armaziti. Listening to our tale of the mummy’s curse, she pronounced that this was an untimely curse that would be a costly heal, but to leave him and come back tomorrow. I wondered if she was just irritable at being awakened so early, or if maybe she had been entertaining the Witcher in her quarters, but held my tongue.
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