Well now, isn't this a curious notion! Old Vilma here, tapping away at this… this glowy box thingy. They say it sends words out into the air like dandelion seeds on a summer breeze. Fascinating! And you want me to tell you about our brave adventurers, the ones who keep poking around in that smelly old barrowmaze? Bless their hearts, they're an odd bunch, but they’ve got spirit, that’s for certain.
Just the other day, it sounds like they found themselves a secret entrance! Imagine that, a secret in a maze already full of twisty turns. They went right back in, bold as brass, wanting to have another good rummage.
Then things got a bit… peculiar, even for the barrowmaze. There was talk of a splashy sound and a strange room they wanted to investigate. And above one of the arches? Well, they found a learing face that looked strangely like a distorted face of Armatzi. Frozen in a twisted leer, it was. Not creepy at all, they said! Honestly, you’d think after all they’ve seen, a stony face wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But they did wonder if its eyes moved, bless their inquisitive souls.
Clever thinkers, they are. They even tried tossing rubble through the arch to see what might happen. Nothing much, just a rock flying and flopping. Though it did make a bit of a racket, louder than they intended, maybe. You never quite know what’s going on in those adventurer heads.
Then came the sneeze! Not one of the party, mind you, but the face on the archway! And young Aratzi felt some sort of strange connection. A holy sneeze, they wondered? Goodness me.
Further in, while one of them, Arnd I believe, was poking around with a ten-foot pole, wouldn’t you know it, several small creatures came out of the rubble pile! Sounded like centipedes. Nasty things, centipedes. Gnorcia, she’s got a real dislike for them, apparently. They all had to umm, prepare for their… their fighting readiness. Hammers flying, swords drawn, and spells… well, I didn't hear much about spells at that point, mostly just the squishing of bugs. Poor little things, they were someone’s pets, apparently.
After all that excitement with the creepy face and the creepy crawlies, they found a hidden catch and a door that opened with a dreadful stench of old death and rot. Inside? An inner space lined with small rectangular burial alcoves. Al-coes, they called them. Naturally, they had to go poking about in there too. Found some silver pieces, they did. Every little bit helps, especially in these times.
Then they were talking about resting and eating dinner. Smart move, I say. Can’t fight monsters on an empty stomach. And Armatzi, bless him, was going to be… switched out when they went back to town. Something about giving everyone a turn. Odd way to run things, but who am I to judge?
They came back to Orlane, late in the evening it was. The town… well, it’s still got its scars. Not the cheerful place it used to be, but we’re getting by. The inn was still serving food, though not the usual feast. Plain stew, fancy rabbit, or a right proper spread for the ‘Saviors of Orlane’. Sounded like Gnorcia went for the big one! That girl…
Seems they had quite the rummage through their bag of holding while they were here. Found all sorts of things! Shovels, bedrolls, and a rather impressive collection of gems. Though too pricey to sell here in Orlane. And wouldn't you know it, some magic leather armor and a magic longbow were tucked away in there! But the armor? Human-sized. And then some magic studded leather, elven-sized! Poor little Gnorcia, still no proper armor.
Back to the barrowmaze they went, bright and early (well, 7:30-ish). They found a stone door and wouldn't you know it, out popped some sort of creature! A coffer corpse, they called it. Didn't last long against Arnd’s hammer, thankfully. Inside the… well, the coffin thingy, they found a golden crown and two jeweled bracers! Shiny treasures! Just the sort of thing to catch a thief’s eye, eh?
Then they were off exploring another part of that maze, a room full of statues dedicated to gods they didn’t recognize. Human gods, they thought, all eroded by time. Sad, really. And wouldn’t you know it, they found a pit trap! Good thing for that ten-foot pole, eh? They tried asking their gods for guidance at a broken altar, but it seems that part of the maze is a bit… spiritually quiet.
Finally, they stumbled upon a long hallway and an archway with some… wiggling things at the top. Creepy stuff! Young Calbach tried shooting at them, even throwing his magic sword! Didn't do a thing. Then they had Lhoss climb up for a closer look, and a hand came out of the stone and grabbed her ankle! Mercy me! She used some sort of magic missile, and it just vanished into the stone. Spooky!
Calbach, bless his newly… un-wall-licking heart, even tried jumping through the archway. Said he floated for a bit. Then the rope they had tied to him came back all sticky! Ugh. They tried throwing rocks through, with all sorts of odd results. In the end, it was a simple lob of a small stone that seemed to do the trick. Though poor Calbach got covered in some sort of sticky film when he tried again. They’re always getting into some sort of scrape, those adventurers.
Well, there you have it. Another peek into the strange and sometimes smelly adventures of our friends. Who knows what they’ll find next in that maze of barrels! Old Vilma will keep her ears open and her quill… well, her fingers on this glowy box, ready to tell you all about it. Until next time, keep your wits about you, and watch out for sneaky archways!
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