Session 106: A Column of Gems and Quest Reminders (Days 11-12 of Goodmonth)

Feno, Chalkboi, and Ronan stood guard at the door—which was now closed tightly and held by Feno—while the rest of us carefully chipped away at the gems. We then heard a noise from out in the hallway somewhere, like a door creaking open as if for the first time in centuries. Most of us stopped working on the gems and listened carefully, alert, but Kyro kept working away and got two more gems out while we waited. The sound had stopped and we realized all was still again in the barrowmaze. We went back to work on the gems again, and soon had 20 emeralds and 20 rubies, which we stashed in the bag of holding as we prepared to go back to town.

We returned to the exit we came in by, and out into the oppressive silence of the Barrowmarsh. Walking back through the Dim Forest, we started to hear the sounds of creatures stirring in the darkness of the ancient trees. Leaving the forest behind, we caught the golden hues of the setting sun as we emerged into the farmlands and hurried back toward Orlane, passing farmers and their farmlands on the way.

Back in town, we were happy to see the people there and quickly went to the Foaming Mug Inn for dinner. The meal was amazing and full of bright fruits and vegetables, accompanied by a wide selection of drinks.

In my new quest to increase my comeliness, I sent my clothes away to be washed and asked the servants to help me bathe and braid my crown into a crown braid around my head before bed. Soon we were all asleep in our beds.

When we awoke on Day 12 of Goodmonth, we found an invitation from Vilma to join her for breakfast. Everyone was happy to attend the meal, though a certain penguin decided to go fishing instead.

Vilma’s home was bright and comforting, and the food smelled amazing. We all sat at a long table and found scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruits, along with freshly-brewed coffee and herbal teas. Vilma regaled us with stories of her youth and the history of Orlane, and we were all happy to listen and enjoy our time there. She also went on about how the Barrowmaze seems to have some sort of wicked enchantment over it, making it more dangerous than it used to be.

After breakfast we all wished Velma well and headed over to have the treasure valued and split between us. We also went to the general store and purchased various items there, and I ordered new clothing from the tailor.

I put in an order with the tailor for a dark forest green outfit to wear under my armor, and a dark-green cloak with a hood, adorned on the edges with gold embroidery of tiny keys, stars, suns, and eyes, and a leather clasp embossed with daggers. I also gave him a drawing of a dragon to be embroidered onto the back of the cloak, using dark thread that blends in with the dark green fabric so it is barely visible unless you know to look for it. The dragon’s sinewy body is coiled around a large moon and its wings are spread wide, as if ready to take flight at a moment's notice. The dragon's eyes are piercing and seem to follow you as you move. I also ordered decorative embossed leather straps for my boots, with keys, stars, suns, and eyes, and matching embossed wristbands for my gloves.

We noticed that a thunderstorm was looming and decided to stay in town for the day rather than travel to the Barrowmaze. During the day, Feno commented to Ronan that he was given a hard time when we were in Hookhill because Ronan had not reported to the Knights of Hookhill about the hunt for Naynor. Ronan quickly went to the Slumbering Serpent and spoke with Bernard, and the rest of us followed him to see how that would go. Bernard chastised him for not reporting in, then let him know that he needed to report weekly. Ronan named Chalkboi as his second, to check in with them if he wasn’t able to.

Ronan started asking questions and Bernard said that Naynor had been connected to the cults in the Barrowmaze and raiding travelers going through the Dim Forest, and that the order of St. Cuthbert is also very concerned about all the undead being generated in the barrowmaze and believes there is something unnatural happening there. He reminded us that the band of the Black Hand appear to be raiding the tombs also and they seem to include Derrick the Assassin among their ranks, who is also a follower of Naynor.

Bernard suggested that Armatzi could petition the order of St. Cuthbert for assistance with spells to help find Naynor, and Chalkboi could use Caliburn to better know how to solve the mysteries of the Barrowmaze because of its holy purpose to defeat the undead. He then charged Chalkboi to find the source of the evil and defeat it. When Lhoss piped up and joined in the conversation, Bernard considered her for a moment, then added that there was a substantial reward offered for both evidence and the removal of any of these groups: Accolades of Orcus, Necromancers of Set, or any followers of Narul. Sufficient evidence would be (uh)holy symbols, garments, brooches, and other evidence they had been defeated. They were also offering 10gp per scalp for Band of the Black Hand. Lhoss perked up at that, and I sat quietly listening, hoping not to garner the attention of Bernard so as to avoid getting some sort of commission from him.

We then split up and Kyro went to the temple to pray for insight. Lhoss and I then went to visit Ramne, as Lhoss was searching for information about gauntlets of dexterity. The two of us then joined Feno to visit the elves, where he was asking if they had any information about Naynor. Twice, from both Ramne and the elves, Lhoss was instructed to consult the sages in Hookhill or Hochoch for insight into finding those gauntlets. I was reminded that I have some business there, as well.

We retired that evening, planning to return to the Barrowmaze on Day 13.

Session 105: Further adventures in the Barrowmaze

The group discussed marching order: Feno spearheading the front, followed by Armatzi and Chalkboi in the 2nd rank, Zraith and Niki in the third, and Lhoss and Gnorcia in the rear. 

The group adventured and explored a couple of rooms, including one with a bloody altar. They opened another door, which let out a blast of air, that blew out the torches and candles. Lhoss snuck into the room, and discovered a draft coming into the room. Chalkboi then swept the room with a 10' pole, clearing it. There was a brick wall to the north, that was crumbling. The group decided to bash that wall down, and were successful. This revealed a room with a glittering pillar of red and green. It was discovered that it had many small emeralds and rubies embedded in it. The group started to pry out gems, and this sound brought about a group of stirges, that somehow?! opened the door that had been closed. 

After fighting with the stirges and giving up some blood, they succeeded. Lhoss and Armatzi attempted to memorize spells, but were too frazzled to concentrate. 

Session 104: The Rat King Makes His Presence Felt

 Day 11 of Goodmonth

Following the battle with the undead, the group took refuge inside the barrow maze in hopes of finding a quiet spot for the magic users to memorize and recoup their spell casting abilities. Upon entering the second entrance of the barrow maze, the group's collective hair stood on end: they were being watched! Or at least that was the sensation they all felt. As they pressed forward, they noted the acrid smell of death and decay that was particularly strong this time of exploration. Upon arriving at some previously explored rooms, the group (which consisted of Feno, Armatzi, Lhoss, Nikki, Gnorcia, Kyro, Calbach, Chalkboi, and the animal companions Zraith and Jack) ventured into a side room that was attached to another room. Here the stench of death and decay was especially strong that caused everyone to be very nauseous. Most of the group quickly left the room, but a couple members were overcome with the nauseous feeling and lingered in the room longer than probably should've. Armatzi and Chalkboi, being overcome with the strong stenches emitted by the room, began to vomit uncontrollably. Finally, they leave the toxic room and rejoin the party in next room, falling to their knees upon exiting. Once cleared from the room, the group, and especially the magic users of the group get a fair amount of distance away from the room, in order to properly focus on getting their magic skills back. Both Lhoss and Armatzi are successful in the return of spells. While they are studying, little Gnorcia decides to play some bone dice with the sentient cat, Jack. Once the party has secured its magical abilities, they decide to press on, hoping to find more treasure. 

With each step into the unknown, they get a sense of foreboding, seeing weird shadows on the walls, and weird angles jutting out. The group stops, when someone notices glowing runes along the wall. Jack hunkers down in a mixture of fear and anxiety. Seeing the runes, he proclaims that it is a sign of the rats, sworn enemies of cats. Gnorcia, remembering that she had a crown of translation, translates the rune meanings. With its use, she gets a massive headache, but was able to translate it to a confusing statement that talked about the rise of rats and the fall of cats. Upon its translation, the runes lose their meaning luster and stop glowing. The group decides to press forward, arriving at a room with a pit the group had previously put slime into. With the aid of Zraith's flipper, Armatzi looks down into the pit, and confirms that slime was still inside. Pressing on, the group arrives near the juncture where they had previously been attacked by the undead cats. The same cats that nearly killed the party. They find a bashed in door near one of the rooms and decide to investigate. Inside they find many burial alcoves and pile of breadcrumbs in the middle of the room. As they search the alcoves for potential treasure, their presence and noise during this search alerts some furry enemies. They hear many padded feet and squeaks coming from the hallway. Both Feno and Armatzi rush out of the room to investigate these new arrivals, while the rest of the party stays in the room initially. Feno and Armatzi both see many, many giant rats, being led by the rat king Filth Fang. 

Rat after rat start attacking, mainly Feno, but a few attack Armatzi. None of these initial rat attacks are successful: they each repel the rodent attacks. Armatzi looking up towards his diety decides to say a small prayer, which assisted the party their ability to hit these creatures. Feno draws his blade and attacks, slaying 4 rats himself. This quick rat stomping enrages the leader Fang, who hisses an incantation in rage. He casts a spell that affects Feno, Lhoss, and Zraith causing them to immediately fall down. They have the mental sensation of being clawed and bitten, which causes them to flay about on the ground. Calbach decides to use a magical arrow in hopes of striking the rat leader. He fires arrow with his bow watching sail towards Fang. However, the rat leader catches the arrow in mid-flight, and, with a menacing glare, crushes both the arrow, and arrowhead into pieces. The group takes turns taking down the other rats while Lhoss and Feno continue to be afflicted the rat king's spell. Sensing defeat, Fang quickly disappears while the group is distracted. Once the last rat is finished off by Armatzi, the spell wears off both Lhoss and Feno. Zraith had fought off the effects earlier. Having remembered fearing the magical effects of the undead cats, and now this, Feno exclaims in anger and frustration, that the group should pursue the escaped leader, because "he has a date with my sword." The group, due to hardships and trainings of past encounters, opt to try to replenish their funds and search for more treasure. They continue onward and discover a room with an alter covered in fresh blood, as well as many burial alcoves and crypts. In their searching they discover more than 100 silver-plated skulls, and more gold pieces. They heard some stomping of feet in the nearby hallway, and decide to prepare for battle, bracing one door and waiting near the other.