It is well into Day 20 of Harvester when we find that an old friend has decided to join us once again. As Feno, Arnd, Niki, Kyro, and I (Lhoss) contemplate whether we are full sick of trudging out to the barrowmaze, Armatzi strides up full of vigor to complete his long-assigned task of finding the Font of Law. It's an assignment that has buzzed in the back of our minds for weeks and months, but we have faltered, as of late, with any genuine motivation to get it done. Niki had a burst of inspiration from her deity just yesterday, but is already easily swayed by Feno's tantalizing description of a personal quest to find and defeat a displacer beast. Frankly, we all are interested in something new. There is also the pull to bring the temple some troll blood and a few tasks to be done in Hochoch. Arnd reasons, impressively so for a dwarf, that the guidance of Armatzi may be what we have been missing and we should utilize his righteous skills to locate the artifact while he is with us. We all decide this is wise and plan to set out early the next morning. Meanwhile, Zach returns to the inn and informs us that he has chosen to become an acolyte of Merikka and will perform two weeks of penance at the temple. He then expresses a strong desire to wipe out The Band of the Black Hand and liberate the underlings who had been enslaved like himself. The party agrees that this is a noble quest and adds it to the "to do" pile. The remainder of the night is spent eating a hearty dinner and listening to a bard sing about brave adventurers. I am awash in feelings of goodwill (and ale) as I nod along to the lyrics that mirror my own life and am joined by Feno, Dorian, and Llewelyn. Is there anything as glorious as the company of elves?
Early the next morning, we all set off. The weather is gorgeous and the first leg is pleasant enough, with greetings from the farmers in their fields. The mood is quashed as we enter the Dim Forest, though. It's always a gloomy place, but something feels off. More that usual, even. But we press on and emerge into the stinking barrow marsh. The main entrance, as we have come to call it, displays no oddities. There is no fragrant meal; in fact, even the mysterious table is gone. The chalk writing on the wall has been smeared with a hand (or paw?). This place is wild. All the more reason to find the Font and be done with it.
Armatzi says a prayer to St. Cuthbert and indicates the Font is in some natural caverns. Luckily, we know just where to head to start searching. On the way we see some grayish-white powder trailed on the ground. The archway that had been emitting hot air has gone cool again, but is now covered with a mass of multi-colored mold. Niki shivers. Some teeth are seen scattered along a set of stairs, including humanoid teeth and one six-inch canine cuspid. A low moaning groan is heard in the distance and dies off. The obelisk covered in evil runes that we had destroyed is now intact. The rest of us had seen this, but Armatzi is stunned. He approaches it to investigate, and it... tracks him. He does not engage with it any further! Any one of these oddities might make a more cowardly soul turn back, but we all press on.
Entering the natural caverns, Armatzi declares the Font is near. Down a corridor, we see an amorphous golden blob trickling down a wall. It is quickly defeated and as Feno delivers the killing blow, the ochre jelly separates to reveal the partially digested remains of the cave fisher. I shiver.
We soon come upon a new room we haven't seen before. There are three stone statues of male warriors around a rough-hewn sarcophagus marked with dark runes. Armatzi is immediately on edge and casts detect magic, but the spell is unable to penetrate the stone. Suddenly, two of the barrow guardian statues animate and attack the party. They are quickly dispatched with and our attention is pulled to the sarcophagus. Armatzi pushes the lid aside and casts protection from evil on himself. Inside there is a glowing white orb. He hesitates; is this some trick? But as he approaches the orb, the air sweetens and he is filled with hope because he has finally found it. He has found the Font of Law! A strange alien noise sounds out twice but then dissipates. Armatzi grips the orb tightly and holds it slightly in front of him. It glows brighter as if it is guiding him. The mission is not yet complete.
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