Session 146: The Journey Back to Orlane and Jack Brought Low

Feno, Arnd, Gnorcia, Niki, Lhoss, and Kyro spent the evening of Day 3 through Day 5 of Patchwall trekking back from the volcano with the meat and hides of three displacer beasts. The trip back to Woods Edge was smooth and uneventful. It was evening when they reached the gates of the city and were greeted by the city guards. The men asked the heroes how their adventure had gone and Lhoss excitedly declared that they had killed five displacer beasts and took no harm. This did not have the desired effect, as the guards seemed rather unimpressed. The tax man sidled up and declared that the cost to enter the city was one gold piece each. While this had been a successful mission to claim the hides of the displacer beasts, there has been precious little influx of cash as of late and quite a bit of spending! Gnorcia, full of cheek, decided to pick the pocket of the tax man. Unfortunately, a tax man is always aware of his gold and discovered the little gnome and raised a ruckus. Gnorcia slipped off into the night and climbed a tree to escape and make her bed for the night. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was treated with hostility and suspicion. Lhoss stepped forward to smooth over the situation, pointing out the impish and playful nature of gnomes. Her silver tongue won over both the guards and the tax man, but they were all still expected to pay the gold piece. The group called out for Gnorcia to come and join them in town, but she stayed outside, spending a miserable night in the rain.

Everyone else booked fine rooms in the Two Cups Inn and rose early to a delicious breakfast. Feno ordered a double breakfast in order to bring a share out to Gnorcia. Lhoss inquired of the innkeeper, Gretchen, whether she would be willing to buy the displacer beast meat. She made a face and said that displacer beast meat is bitter and not favored, though she would buy some at a low cost to feed to her dogs. The party sold the bulk of the meat, but kept 10 pounds for their journey back to Orlane. Surely fresh meat would be better than rations on the road! Gretchen also directed them to a horse trader (honest, by her opinion) named Bill Ferney where they could outfit themselves for a quick return. 

Bill Ferney was an honest and industrious salesman. He informed the group of all the kit they would need beyond riding horses (and a pony for Gnorcia). With saddles, bridles, feed, and all the rest (along with some basic horsemanship instructions) the mounted Saviors of Orlane hit the road. Taking care to rest the horses often, the group still made good time. Kyro put his cooking skills (and a few magical seasoning skills from Gnorcia and Lhoss) to work to make the displacer beast meat palatable. It was... okay but not great. A little better than dry rations, though!

In the evening, the group heard the sound of approaching horses. They party hunkered down while Gnorcia and Lhoss snuck silently up to the road to spy the advancing group. They saw 12 horsemen in chain mail with the heraldry and livery of the Gran March. Not wanting to engage with the soldiers, the pair silently watched the procession move down the road in the same direction they were headed. It was a foreboding sight. Were they on the march toward Orlane? Or some other conflict?

The next morning, the group were all saddle sore, Kyro least of all, but the effects of a day of riding were evident. Lhoss led the weary travelers in some Zuoken stretches. A few were somewhat reluctant of engaging in a ritual of a deity not their own, but Lhoss and Gnorcia reassured them that there was no need for prayers or worship of Zuoken, it was just good physical exercise. To the surprise of all but Gnorcia and Lhoss, it was helpful in alleviating their soreness.

On the evening of Day 8 of Patchwall, the group was nearing Orlane when Feno and Lhoss spotted something on the trail ahead. It was a small creature... was that Jack? Lhoss and Feno dismounted and ran up to see it was indeed Jack, but he was lying, unmoving, on the trail. In a sickening discovery, the elves saw that Jack's paw had been severed and the Greater Ring of Jack was gone. Lhoss immediately bandaged the paw and Feno poured water into the cat's mouth. Feno then scooped Jack up and ran him back to Niki. Niki cast a healing spell on the animal which revived him somewhat. The poor beast looked up at his master and tried to speak, but all that came out was a plaintive "meow!"

Session 143: The end of Brewfest and exploring the side of a volcano

Feno, Arnd, Gnorcia, Niki, Armatzi, Kyro, Lhoss awoke on day 7 of Brewfest in the town of Woods Edge. Determined to find the displacer beasts as quickly as possible and return to Orlane, Lhoss asked the innkeeper if there were any holy temples or shrines in town. She was hoping to track down a druid who had the ability to locate animals the way Hilja had in the past. The innkeeper told Lhoss there was a temple of Wee Jas and a shrine of Fharlanghn. Lhoss got excited that Niki could enlist the help of her fellow worshipers in tracking displacer beasts until she remembered that she was confusing Obad-hai and Fharlanghn again. Arnd and Gnorcia waited at the inn, but the others tracked down the shrine to Fharlanghn. On the way, Lhoss recognized a small shrine to Zuoken. Telling the others to wait, she hurried over to the shrine and spoke in hushed tones with the attendant. She was informed that the lawful orders (Wee Jas, here in Woods Edge) were putting pressure non-lawful orders. Feeling intimidated, followers of Zuoken had been laying low in the city and trying not to draw attention. Lhoss pressed two platinum pieces into the attendant's hand as tribute and vowed to return after nightfall to worship.

The group came upon the Fharlanghn temple, which was a grove of white birch trees. A follower greeted the party and raised an eyebrow at Armatzi, asking if he would be entering. Armatzi questioned whether he would be welcome and was reassured that he would be, so long as he made a donation. Armatzi gave four gold pieces, as did Lhoss and Niki. Feno handed over a platinum as he was short on gold and Kyro produced two gold as he was short on gold and platinum. The man thanked the adventurers and invited them to sit on some boulders arranged in a semi-circle. Lhoss inquired about the possibilities of a druid of the order enlisting to help the group fight displacer beasts. The man paused thoughtfully and then conceded that the displacer beasts had made incursions into the edges of town and that they had become unruly. But he countered that the beasts are native creatures and that nature balances itself. He resolved that the creatures were not troublesome enough for their order to intervene. Although, he said that they could be hired for a price. As the group contemplated this thought, the Fharlanghn follower inquired why our own druid should not be skilled enough to track down the displacer beasts for us. It seems Niki had forgotten some of her old training and was in fact able to use her magic to locate any animal she should choose to find. Contented, the party turned to leave when the man shared that the location of the displacer beasts is on the side of the volcano located in the Dim Forest. At least some valuable intel was acquired for all the gold spent. So the destination is a volcano! Feno, while protected from cold, has no such immunity to fire. He inquired about purchasing fire-resistant clothing and was rebuffed. As promised, Lhoss returned to the Zuoken temple accompanied by Gnorcia before the Brewfest celebration kicked off in earnest.

For the last day of Brewfest, several in the party paid five gold pieces for an all you can eat and drink night of revelry. What a deal! The group partook of the tasty meats, potatoes, gravies, fruits, veggies, stews, breads, pies, and drinks. There was a level of temperance, however, as each member of the adventuring group knew of the daunting task that awaited them. Lhoss alone indulged heavily in drink and as such, it was mid-morning before she was put together enough to venture out with the rest. They might as well have joined in the revel with her!

Everyone they talked to warned of the danger of entering the Dim Forest and fighting displacer beasts. First the innkeeper who gave them directions out of town, then the city watch who instructed them to bushwhack a path toward the volcano. Living up to its name, the forest was dark and chill. They worked in shifts to hack through the hanging branches covered in moss, ever making their way closer to the volcano and the thin trails of smoke emanating from within. The first night, Kyro cooked up a ration donated by each party member with a few of his spices to make a tasty stew. The group took watch in turns and groups of 2-3 until morning. It was an uneventful night. After breakfast and tea, the adventurers made more progress through the forest. Late in the afternoon, the volcano came into full view and Lhoss spotted a cave about halfway up. It would take half a day to climb to it, so the group set up the tent and settled in for an early night. Feno hunted for eggs and Lhoss set up some snare traps. Feno only found one egg, but it had gone bad and Lhoss's traps caught nothing. Again, there were no disturbances during the nights' watches.

The next morning, the group found and followed a trail up the volcano slope. They tracked some paw prints and came upon two creatures in mortal combat. One was large and deep blue with odd tentacles growing from its sides. The other appeared to be a large brown dog. The blue creature moved in a blur and the brown one disappeared and reappeared. Then the dog creature turned somewhat and the group could see that it was actually whitish/yellow with large tufts coming off its tail. There was barking, yipping, snarling, and growling and then suddenly they both ran off and the dog creature disappeared. Gnorcia wanted to lure the big dog back, so she laid out some rations. The animal did not return, so they all continued up the trail. Around a bend in the trail, the adventurers found themselves facing a cave entrance.

Session 139: Closing the Pit of Chaos

The battle looks grim. With Feno fleeing and Arnd asleep, only Kyro, Lhoss, Niki, and Armatzi remain to fight. Lhoss calls out that the party needs to retreat and regroup. Lhoss attempts to shove a skeleton into a zombie with her staff and Niki tries to sweep another off its feet with her scimitar; both are unsuccessful in their disarming strikes. Kyro prepares to drag Arnd out of the room while Armatzi moves forward with the Fount of Law to shield the two of them. The presence of the holy relic causes all the undead to retreat a few steps and shudder. With no resistance, Lhoss, Niki, Kyro and Arnd retreat effortlessly from the room. Armatzi, however does not retreat and stares down the crowd of foes. He turns his head back to the group and mouths the words "I'm sorry, I have to do this" and presses forward to the pit. Arnd, ever filled with a sense of bravery and duty charges back into the room to assist Armatzi. The cleric slowly moves closer to the gaping maw, causing the skeletons and zombies to shiver and move mechanically away from him. The beholder screeches out "I will feast on your flesh!" but if this strikes fear into Armatzi's heart, he does not show it. Suddenly a bone golem bursts forth from the pit. The hole is a mass of twisting blackness and body parts with teeth and fangs inlaid, jutting inward. With a belch of putrid stench, two more bone golems emerge and jostle their way into position in front of the fetid chasm. One of the golem pushes a quivering zombie away and decapitates it in a swipe. The beholder laughs manically at the scene. Armatzi presses his advance toward the pit. Niki holds back, but Kyro joins Arnd at Armatzi's rear while Lhoss sprints off to try and catch Feno. She sees him in the distance just as the spell breaks and Feno turns to head back to the battle. Lhoss and Feno exchange an Elven high-five (perfect cracking sound, slight stinging sensation on the palm) and the two sprint together. Meanwhile, Armatzi has moved close enough to the pit that he feels confident he can toss it into the downward sloping crevasse. The onlooking party members seem to hold their breath as the orb arcs slightly up and falls toward the hole. The beholder follows the font with his eye stalks; the lesser demons freeze; the golems seem to recognize the power of the object and consider it while it sails through the air, then tip aside as if to let the now strobing globe of light pass by to its destiny. With a huge blast of stinking air, a force erupts from the pit and every person and creature in the room is stunned and thrown back, onto the ground. Even Lhoss and Feno feel the vile wind blow past them. In a blink, all of the enemies are defeated, leaving behind nothing but clouds of bone dust and piles of gore. All that remains of the Pit of Chaos is a deformed mound of black crust. While the rest of the party feels a great sense of relief and accomplishment, Armatzi receives a message from St. Cuthbert: the maze is not yet clean as there is a greater presence of Nerul to the East. The pit of Chaos had been masking this evil, but it is now evident. 

The light in the room has changed. The statues are no longer emitting an unholy light and are now each holding something in their arms. The group collects a few potions, a scroll, and leather armor. Kyro finds a gold ring set with a diamond. He peers at it curiously and then places it on his finger and appears exalted. The group questions Kyro about the ring, but he is secretive and refuses to remove it. Niki casts detect magic on the items and they all glow with magic. Jack appears, takes one look at Kyro, and immediately his hair stands on end and he begins hissing at the ranger. Kyro mentions to Niki that she needs to be nice to Jack and then the cat pops back out of sight. This whole exchange makes Lhoss extremely suspicious. She questions who Kyro serves and he replies that he serves Merrika, but this does not put Lhoss at ease. She insists that in order to trust Kyro and travel with him, he needs to remove the ring. Kyro acquiesces. He then discloses that the ring allows him to understand and communicate with animals. That seems harmless enough, why was he being so secretive about it?

On the road back to Orlane, the group sees an approaching figure. He is wearing patched brown clothes and has a brown beard and striking blue eyes. The group hails him and has a brief, but friendly conversation with the traveler. He identifies himself as a Wanderer and a worshipper of Fharlanghn. As he moves on, the group notices that the traveler moves with great speed. Behind, he left a small wooden chit; it is dark walnut and carved with runes.

Back at the inn, Lhoss overhears some townsfolk talking about a stranger that was ranting about the lesser pit being destroyed but boasting about the rise of necromancers. Lhoss inquires if it was the man they had met on the road, but no - this stranger was dressed in a black cloak. Lhoss imparts the news of their most recent success with the pit and then warns the townsfolk that this was an evil person and not to engage with him. They thank her and buy her a drink, which she happily downs.

Jack pops back into the inn and points to Kyro's new ring and identifies it as a ring of evil. It's possible, though, that Jack simply doesn't like the idea of another being who is able to know his thoughts. Jack and Niki bicker over which one of them is smarter and Niki points out that she has a skill that Jack does not: healing. Jack scratches her arm and then proclaims that Niki is right, he cannot heal. Feno orders a dish of chicken for Jack, which the cat gulps down with delight. The cat winks at the elf and indicates that a favor is owed to Feno. In fact, Feno is flush with generosity and buys the whole room a round of drinks. Lhoss sees the mayor in the crowded inn and passes on the good news that the pit has been closed. A cheer is raised and more drinks are poured as what is sure to be an evening of revelry begins in earnest.

Session 136: Puzzles and Traps

It is day 23 of Harvester and we (Feno, Arnd, Armatzi, Niki, Kyro and Lhoss {me}) find ourselves presented with ten holes containing various things and a wriggling thought that this must be a puzzle to be solved. Armatzi has some wild theories about what each hole must mean, but Feno is a man with a plan! As the rest of us cower in a doorway, Feno uses an unlit torch to flip the lever set down in the northwesternmost cavity. Immediately, holes open in the eastern wall and shoot out black and yellow darts. One hits Feno and he slumps down to the ground, paralyzed. I spring into action to rescue my fellow Elf by pulling out the dart. I feel a numb tingling start to spread from my hand up my arm and drop the dart, which disappears. Feno regains consciousness pretty quickly and I examine the wall to see the holes where the darts had originated. Once I spot the holes, I begin to search the room to see if there is another wall that might also be concealing darts. Feno offers to join, so I point out the holes and he nods and starts searching. Armatzi wants to help as well, so I point out the holes, but he can't see them. Jack poofs into existence on Armatzi's shoulder, cuffs him on his ear, then disappears. Niki joins and with a little time and squinting is able to find them. Armatzi squints and strains, but is still unable to see what is plain to all us Elves. I turn to Feno and huff in Elvish "If I woke up tomorrow with human eyes, I would pluck them out and trade with a pig." He nodded with a wry grin (clearly he thought it was the most humorous thing he'd ever heard). It's a very good joke, even better in Elvish. And it rhymes.

At any rate, we do not find any other dart holes in the room; they seem to only come from the east wall. Armatzi decides he wants to flip the other switch in a hole. This time, all of us but Kyro surround Armatzi with shields as he triggers the second lever. With a loud *clunk* the portcullis drops. It does not rise with a reverse flip. Shoot, we've just trapped ourselves. I check the door to the east for traps and don't find any, so we can at least move on from this room. As Armatzi opens the door, we look back to see Kyro attempting to fish the metal circle out of one of the holes. With a bit of finagling, and some help from Armatzi, they lift the circlet out. To their horror, there is an unholy symbol of Nerull engraved upon it. A putrid smell fills their nostrils as the rotting skull appears to animate, frightening Kyro into dropping it back into the hole. Armatzi brandishes his holy symbol and sprinkles holy water on the artifact, but this is not enough! He breaks out a sacred incantation and douses the thing in more holy water. This seems to be sufficient as a cloud of gray smoke rises and then turns white. It seems the evil has bin dispelled. After such unlucky encounters, we all agree to move on from this room.

Arnd is the first through the door and begins to probe with his ten-foot pole. He calls out that he has found more burial alcoves and a pile of rubble. While the rest of us get to work looting the alcoves, Arnd and Feno examine the rubble piles. A swarm of giant rats emerges and scurries away. We don't pursue them. Arnd explores further north in the room and discovers a bottomless (question mark?) pit. Meanwhile, our noisy efforts have attracted a group of ravenous dead. We destroy them with little fanfare and push them into the pit. Curiously, they just disappear into an inky darkness about ten feet down and make no sound of hitting the bottom. This may be more than simply a bottomless pit; regardless, it is a danger to be avoided.

Session 130: Mysteries of the Sphynx

It's late morning on Day 19 of Harvester and our small group of Feno, Niki, Arnd and me (Lhoss) approach the main entrance to the barrow maze. We've climbed down this rope dozens of times, but all of the strange happenings (the containers of body parts, the theft and teasing note from another group, the ghast) have put me on edge and I decide to have a look around. I am drawn to a scene by a delicious scent and what I see is most curious: a stone table set with a plate with beef, potatoes and gravy and a side of vegetables along with a silver goblet filled with some liquid. There are even tendrils of steam still rising from the dish. It looks tempting, but it is so perfect a display in such a dangerous place, that we all feel as though it may be a trap. Feno tosses a small pebble and it hits squarely on the chair sat at the table and bounces away, dismissing his suspicions that there may be an invisible person in our midst. The group splits to search the nooks and crannies and finds nothing. If we have interrupted someone about to enjoy and early lunch, the only direction they could have gone is down the rope. So we descend into that familiar gloom, with Feno going down head-first in a daredevil manner.

The scene is one we have all seen dozens of times, but considering the oddities we have just encountered, we are all eyeing the space with extra scrutiny. The room is partially collapsed on the western wall (has it always been in this condition, or are we just now taking notice?) and written on the southern wall are the words "don't go on" (how long has that been there?). There are also frescoes of a burial procession. As we gaze upon the painted picture, the figures seem to animate and move, then in a blink, go back to still. There are exchanges of "did you just see that?" and "what is going on?" and a general feeling of disquiet. We decide that we should pay attention to the bad vibes we're all sensing and retreat back up the rope. Curiously, the plate of food is now gone and not even a scent lingers. It's as though it never was.

Good thing we know of a second entrance. We head to and enter the barrowmaze through what I have come to think of as the secret passage. Suddenly, every member of the party is frozen in fear as a vision of horror plays in our mind. What entity has the power to cause our entire group to experience this sort of psychic terror? Everyone is contemplating our options when Niki's face transforms from a look of worry to one of beatific exuberance! She has received a message from her deity, Obad-hai, that it is her divine mission to seek the Font of Law. This is likely because the two driving forces leading this cause in our party, Armatzi and Chalkboi, have left the party and the group had grown ambivalent toward the goal. It seems cleansing the barrowmaze is a priority for multiple higher powers. Niki's motivation is enough to electrify the entire group such that we all overcome our hesitancy and push forward into the crypts. We are not even deterred by the gurgling cackle that is heard in the distance. When you are infected with quest fever, the only antidote is success!

Moving with our usual caution, Gnorcia notices a doorway that had been previously guarded by a goblin, but was now clear. Onward to new discoveries! The first thing the group encounters is a crumbing sphynx statue covered in moss and dust. The statue blinks to life and speaks. Apparently it has been in the barrowmaze for many millennia. It pegs us as adventurers and offers a trade: if we can solve a riddle, it will answer a question for us. Surely a being that has been here so long could lead us directly to the Font of Law. Somewhat impetuously, without inquiring about the terms of the contract, I agree to participate. The riddle is posed: "Close to the words stay I, but I wither, wane and grow dry." I am utterly befuddled. The sphynx suggests that we all discuss it over lunch, and by the way would we mind sharing some of our rations and water? We do so and the sphynx drains and entire water skin. Feno poses that perhaps the answer is tongue, as the sphynx was clearly very thirsty. That sounds like a good answer to me, but the answer we decide to give is parchment. The sphinx seems a little disappointed and informs us we are incorrect. The answer was a pressed flower. At that revelation, the sphynx crumbles to dust and a quiet sob is heard. One can only hope that the sphynx has simply moved to another room and we may encounter it again.

Moving along, Niki kicks up some poisonous mold with her 10-foot pole. She is knocked unconscious. I cast my continual light spell, but it does not neutralize the mold. Feno pulls Niki away from the mold and manages not to become infected himself. I was all for leaving the pole behind, but Arnd deftly retrieved it and cleaned it for further use. In time, Niki recovered and we pressed on. In the next room, as Niki probed the area with the pole, a trap was triggered and a steel cage came crashing down from the ceiling, snapping the pole in two. If a person had set foot in that space, they would have either been trapped or crushed. Fortunately, there is a second pole in the bag of holding!

Further along, we enter a room with piles of rubble and cobwebs on the ceiling. Niki probes one of the piles and disturbs more toxic mold. She is able to quickly retreat and avoid being poisoned this time. With a careful inspection of the room, Niki finds a hidden latch. She switches it and a passage is revealed along with a bricked off wall. What horrors are hidden behind it?

Session 119: At last, a gelatinous cube

Feno, Niki, Arnd, Sergius, Lhoss, Chalkboi, and Kyro could tell they were in the vicinity of the Font of Law, but they had thoroughly explored the current corridor and found nothing. They decided to retrace their steps back to the obelisk room and search beyond the eastern door. Upon opening the door, Feno was greeted with an odd sight: beyond some rubble stood a man with his back to the group; one arm was raised and frozen in place as if to ward off or wave. The figure did not respond to Sergius' calls, which was... disturbing. The party took in the rest of the room and noticed the walls of dark granite and limestone, distinct from the rest of the barrowmaze, as well as a rusty portcullis. As Niki moved further into the room to probe with her 10' pole, she noticed an odd ripple in the air. Immediately though, she was able to discern its true form: a large cube of transparent material... and it was moving toward her! The jiggling form attempted to advance and engulf her, but Niki outmaneuvered it. She struck out at it but it was Feno that delivered the destroying blow, absolutely demolishing it. The human figure, no longer supported by the gelatinous cube, fell and revealed to the group that he had been half devoured by the goo. Upon close inspection, it was believed that the half-consumed man had been a member of the Band of the Black Hand. Ah well, no great loss.

Sergius was the first to begin exploring a passageway to the south. He found burial alcoves and limestone walls that turned into rougher walls. There were eight hallways, each containing many differently-shaped burial alcoves. The adventurers closed the door behind themselves, as not to be snuck up on, and worked together to systematically search the alcoves. It was clear they would not wrap up in time to be back to Orlane for dinner, so the group ate a hasty dinner of bland rations and tried to make quick work of the searching. The haul was impressive: a gold circlet, brass cup, circular polished stone, ivory carving, bracelet, fire opal, glass box, jade idol, earrings, copper inkwell, ornate plate, mithril brooch in the shape of an elven tree, necklace, coral, and a healthy amount of gold, silver, and electrum. Feeling good about the day's work, everyone was prepared to head back to town. Feno carved a small star into the wall as a reminder that he had been here.

Alas, behind the door, the way was not clear to depart. A swarm of three stirges barred the way with a pair of sapphire skeletons advancing in the background. Two of the enormous mosquito-like creatures attacked Niki and began to suck her blood. Arnd swung out with his throwing war hammer and squished one. Lhoss used her spider climb to hang from the doorway and strike down at another, killing it. Unfortunately, this put Lhoss in a vulnerable position and she was stabbed by both of the skeletons. Feno squished the last stirge. Working swiftly, Chalbkoi and Sergius felled the two skeletons, their sapphires glowing ominously. This group has fought enough of these skeletons to know that they can only be fully defeated if their sapphires are smashed. Kyro and Chalkboi cleaved one each and the valuable shards were gathered up. The group headed back to Orlane as night fell.

The treasures were tested for magic and two items proved to be imbued with powers - the brooch and the polished stone. The group decided to divvy up some of the magical items and potions they had acquired. Anyone willing to pay the price to identify a potion could claim it. Feno claimed two and Lhoss claimed one. In addition, the ring the group had previously found was identified as a ring of fire resistance and given to Sergius. The polished stone was determined to be a luck stone and given to Feno. The brooch was shown to turn any fine cloak into a cloak of elven-kind (and therefore decrease the odds of being perceived) and given to Kyro. The rest of the treasure was sold to the jeweler Haskall with the proceeds split among the party for a handsome payday.

Session 116: Spider Lhoss climbs like a spider does

The super-sized party of Feno, Ronan, Niki, Chalkboi, Armatzi, Lhoss, Gnorcia, Kyro, and Calbach continued their current quest for the Font of Law. Heading eastward, they encountered a door that Gnorcia dutifully checked for traps. Finding none, Lhoss opened the door to find a common 10-foot pit and the rubble of a collapsed wall. Beyond the pit were two archways. Niki probed the rubble and found only harmless spiders. In an open room to the right, the group noticed mummies, grease spots, and evidence of a battle. The mummies had clearly been looted. Calbach felt a desire to show respect to the dead and rewrapped the corpses and, with the aid of Kyro and Gnorcia, placed them in the room's alcoves.

Moving onward, the heroes saw a set of double doors. Double Doors! A thrill ran through the party; were they on the cusp of discovering the Font of Law? Before anyone could so much as check the doors for traps, a swarm of carnivorous giant flies set upon the party from where they had been buzzing around a giant statue. Gnorcia in rare form, struck out solidly with her daggers, injuring one fly which was finished by Feno. Lhoss shot out the flaming sparks of her magic missile and exploded a second while Ronan slew the third. The insects were falling like flies. Armatzi healed Chalkboi who had sustained an injury. Gnorcia with deadly accuracy and a double attack skewered the final two flies and ended the battle. 

Moving toward the statue, it was sensed by several in the party that it had been a holy statue, but as it was severely defaced, no one could determine who it was meant to depict or glorify. Kyro and a few others brainstormed ideas to restore the statue, but it became clear that none of the party had the requisite skills to do so. Some rudimentary cleaning was performed before the group moved on.

The double doors were opened to show a set of descending stairs. Seems like this is the right way... Niki swept the area and noted a door to the left (containing a corpse), a door to the right (containing four corpses), and a granite arch approximately 30 feet in the distance. Moving into the room on the left to probe it with her pole, Niki was attacked by the corpse which was in fact a ghoul. Owing to her half-elf protections, she was luckily not paralyzed by the creature. Gnorcia, once again the hero, sprung into action and killed the brute. The ghoul was searched and, to the group's surprise, a pair of magical gauntlets was discovered tucked into its clothing. Lhoss' elf ears perked up at the mention of gauntlets. She had long quested for a pair of Gauntlets of Dexterity. Being a middling thief, she hoped these magical artifacts might improve her skills. Lhoss persuaded the team to let her have the gauntlets, slipped them on, and tried to pick Niki's pockets. While successful, Lhoss didn't think the gloves had actually aided her. Then she felt an urge to climb the wall. Don't get me wrong, Lhoss can climb a wall, but she scaled this dungeon wall with such speed and deftness and then perched so easily on a spot with no visible ledge, it was clear what the true power of the gauntlets was: climbing ability.

The party decided to pause to eat and contemplate next steps. Calbach made the grievous error of eating his rations in the hallway instead of joining his compatriots in the room. This move had previously been known as "pulling a Chiki", but Calbach just might have given cause to rename it because the reckless act drew some ravenous dead. Gnorcia attacked one by jumping on its back and Chalkboi used a "powered up" Caliburn to sunder another. Lhoss attempted to use her new skill in combat by climbing along the walls to achieve an advantageous position, but needs to develop this skill more and was unsuccessful. The remaining dead were killed... again.

A plan was formed to clear the room on the right, since it was suspected those four corpses were in fact ghouls. Feno and Gnorcia lobbed two vials of oil each, acting as Molotov cocktails to set the ghouls and room itself afire. In the melee, two ghouls succumb to the fire, and the other two are slain by Feno and Calbach, but not before the foes paralyze Gnorcia and Chalkboi with their terrible venom. Eventually the paralysis wears off, the group finds a runic tablet (added to the bag of holding), and shakily return to Orlane.

Session 99: Finding answers in the Temple of Boccob

Armatzi, Niki, Gnorcia, Kyro, Lhoss, and Feno found themselves pondering the plans for the day after eating their breakfast at the Dapper Crab Inn. With no other specific business to be done in Hookhill, the group made it their primary objective to go to the Cathedral of St. Cuthbert. There, hopefully they could finally find a cleric with the knowledge of how to bring back Tatania. Lhoss asked the inn keeper Tiadora for directions and they set off.

Several in the party noted that the feeling of suspicion and paranoia that was observed in Hochoch was absent in Hookhill. Not all cities of the realm are equally affected by the terrors of the giants. The group made their way down wide, well-paved streets to the mercantile district. It was well exposed to the light of the warm summer day, which added to the pleasant journey. They passed by nicely-constructed homes and came upon the edge of the basilica, which was surrounded by walls. There was a field, which appeared to be the grounds for fairs and festivals. The area was busy with people coming and going. This appeared to be the religious district with a temple dedicated to Boccob and the Cathedral of Pholtus. The Cathedral of St. Cuthbert stood out in shining blue and white stone. It was an imposing structure, invoking the deity's cherished principles of order and lawfulness.

Armatzi stepped forward to introduce himself and was quickly recognized as a curate of the faith. The rest of the party were asked if they too were followers of St. Cuthbert. When they each indicated that they were not, they were informed that only Armatzi would be allowed to enter the while armed. Feno grew suspicious of this restriction and declared that he would wait outside. Lhoss, Gnorcia, Kyro, and Niki left their weapons with Feno and entered the cathedral. 

The entry gave way to large chambers, beautiful stained-glass windows, and paintings depicting the heroic deeds of St. Cuthbert's followers. As the group waited for Raymond Bachelet (the emissary of the cathedral), they heard the chanting of monks. At last Raymond appeared and addressed Armatzi (and only Armatzi). Raymond informed Armatzi that resurrection is a benefit that is only offered to the followers of St. Cuthbert. As Tatania had not declared fealty to any deity and was a chaotic personality, she would surely not be eligible. Kyro interjected to ask which other edifices the group might try to petition their cause and was sharply cut down. In the cathedral, communications could only go through Armatzi. Raymond had no knowledge (or interest) of what could be provided by other temples. But, he made it clear that there was no shrine to Merikka in the city and the closest place of worship was far off in Buxton's Crossing. The parting offerings of each member were received as thus: Lhoss (1 silver piece), a sniff; Gnorcia (1 gold piece), a slight nod; Armatzi (3 gold pieces), a deep nod.

Glancing around, the conical, several-story tower of Boccob came into view. It dazzled with blue, red, an yellow stones and was adorned with astronomical symbols. Boccob is the god of magic, arcane, and knowledge; this information pierced Kyro's heart. True, Tatania had never chosen a religion to follow, but this set of priorities seemed to align with hers very keenly. The group approached to inquire inside.

The party were met by two hooded guards wearing black robes embroidered with white stars. Kyro approached and explained our quest to have Tatania resurrected. When asked if any of us were followers of Boccob, we admitted that none are, but Kyro insisted that Tatania would have been if she had known of Boccob's existence. The guards thought to themselves and asked who wished to enter. Kyro, Gnorcia, and Lhoss indicated yes and were ushered in. Each gave an offering of 1 gold piece and were seated in a dark room lit by candles and infused with incense smelling of mint and cinnamon. Nearly intoxicated by the smell alone, the group was greeted by another man in a black robe with white stars. He asked if the group would be willing to submit to a test of truthfulness. After three yesses, they were presented to Metheven Pickney. Metheven asked probing questions about Tatania, including her motivations and temperament. Each adventurer seemed to pass the test and was rewarded with a large flagon of good wine. The effect of the drink caused the mystical signs emblazoned on the walls to shimmer and shine. The high priestess came to address the three and indicated that, yes, they had been truthful. She indicated that Baccob was an uncaring god, but would allow Tatania to be brought back, under two conditions. First, she would receive a quest to complete upon resurrection and second, the financial cost would be 10,000 gold pieces. This was bittersweet news. At last there was a path to see Tatania again, but it would not be easy. This would be an open-ended offer and Kyro could return with the treasure should he ever be able to collect it. Feeling a mix of emotions, the adventurers returned to the Dapper Crab to eat lunch and eavesdrop on the locals talking about the happenings of the surrounding areas. 

Session 88: The many riches of Osric and Breena

As she peered into the sarcophagi, Lhoss found herself simultaneously dazzled by the mountain of coins and wondering how on earth the group would transport it all. Luckily, Gnorica and Arnd appeared, swelling the party's ranks. Between Calbach, Tatania, Lhoss, Gnorcia, Arnd, Armatzi, Niki, Feno, and Hilja, all of the platinum and gold and much of the silver was packed up to cart back to Orlane. 

As the group exited the barrow maze, they encountered a bunch of skeletons. Between Hilja casting an entangle spell and Armatzi turning the undead, the evil creatures were quickly slaughtered. The rest of the journey was uneventful. The adventurers cleaned off the dust and rain from their travels and ate dinner at the inn, ending day 11 of Wealsun.

The riches were divided among the group and Armatzi, Hilja, and Niki were able to train to level up. The items gathered from Osric and Breena (armor, sword, shield, ring, bracers, crown) along with the red leather cloak were tested and all found to be magical. Ramne was able to determine the magical properties of each item (for a price). Many in the party found themselves so loaded down with coin, they bought valuable gems and jewelry as an investment and in an effort to lighten their loads. 

Session 81: An Education in Potions, Day 1 of Wealsun

The morning of the first day of Berrytime was warm and sunny. Feno, Aramaziti, Chalkboi, Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Tatania began their day in Orlane doing errands. Feno and Lhoss went to the shop and sold off some weapons (a throwing axe for Feno and a spiked long sword for Lhoss). Feno then bought a morningstar as to have a blunt weapon to use against skeletons (cue foreshadowing music). Wishing to replenish their poison antidote supplies, the group headed to the temple of Merikka.

At the temple, the team met up with Browning (a lesser acolyte). They were informed that he would be conducting all future commercial temple dealings. Browning listed the prices for healing potions and poison cures. The group decided to buy one poison antidote and place it in the bag of holding. Additionally, Feno and Gnorcia purchased a dose each to keep in their personal packs. Browning then told us that if we could obtain the valuable components of the potions (ogre mage blood or troll blood for healing potions and poison glands from spiders or scorpions for heal poison potions) we could receive a discount to purchase them. At this, Gnorcia's ears perked up. She produced several poison sacs that she had skillfully extracted from defeated spiders and was able to sell them for a hefty treasure. Looking at the vials for sale, Lhoss pulled out a few unidentified vials from the bag of holding. With a small gasp, Browning identified two as healing potions, with one being a super healing potion containing three doses. What a discovery! The group, stocked up, headed out toward the barrow marsh.

Even though this has become a well-trod path for our heroes, they were still struck by the business of the area with new builds and a few travelers passed on the way. Other than these merry sights, the journey was uneventful. As the party descended into the gloom of the barrow marsh, they were set upon by that familiar enemy: skeletons! (Repetition of foreshadowing music, now in a major key).

The undead monsters were quickly dispatched with and left in piles of burnt and broken bones. Lhoss turned to Tatania and said "Tatania, wanna see a new entrance?" and pointed out the new door that the party had discovered the previous day. It presented a significant shortcut to the part of the barrowmaze the group had been exploring. Being a quiet and relatively secured area, the party ate lunch and rememorized spells.

Moving on, the heroes found themselves in a familiar spot where they had encountered a melee between the cultists of Orcus and Set. Feno noticed a switch on the wall and, with encouragement from Lhoss, threw it. The wall disappeared to reveal several carnivorous flies. Disgusting as they were, the warriors slew them all quickly and skillfully.

Session 73: Hunting for Froglings

It was the afternoon of Day 13 of Flocktime, common year 576. With insufficient time for the group to make a day trip to the barrowmaze, and the village sufficiently explored, we all discussed what would be the best use of our remaining hours of daylight. Hochoch and Hookhill were deemed too far a distance to travel as we only wanted to occupy ourselves for one afternoon and prepare for the barrow marshes tomorrow. We all kept coming back to the bounty that had been placed on the froglings that have been causing trouble for the farmers to the north. The group (Armaziti, Gnorcia, Tatania, Feno, Lhoss, Hilja, Arnd, and Myrtle) checked in with constable Grover for more information and direction. He told us about two farms that had been having troublesome incursions. So, we set off to visit Frank Stone and Leighton Black. 

Farmer Stone had a cairn topped with a carved bear marking the pathway to his homestead. The farm looked quite prosperous with cows, chickens, and crops being tended to by field workers. The workers did not look up or acknowledge us, so we went to the handsome house (made of brick with a thatched roof) and knocked on the door. A loud voice called out and we were greeted with an air of suspicion by a large woman called Matilda. We assured her that we were here under direction of the constable so she nodded and went to fetch her husband. Frank Stone came to greet us and when he learned we were here to deal with the froglings, he was happy to share whatever useful information he could. Apparently, the attacks had been uncoordinated and largely unsuccessful. When the froglings breeched the fence line, the chickens had alerted the household to the danger and Frank and his sons had been able to scare off the invaders with a volley of arrows. It had been at least a week since the last attack and they had never seen more than five froglings  at once. We thanked the Stone family and left them to their duties as we continued on down the road.

The way to the Black farm was marked with two large oak trees. We followed a hedged path through a grain field to a clearing where geese, chickens, and hogs were penned. We could see a slightly dilapidated log farmhouse with a garden behind it and a rickety barn. Feno noticed a figure disappear into the shadowy barn, hopped a fence, and tried to sneak up to investigate. But since the yard was wide open, he was easily spotted and farmer Black yelled angrily at us, inquiring what we were doing on his property. We tried to smooth things over by explaining we had been sent by the constable, but Leighton remained irritable. He begrudgingly shared his experiences loosing chickens to the froglings. It had been only two days since his last attack, and by the frog spore and footprints, Leighton had identified the culprits and complained to the constable. Farmer Black seemed cautiously optimistic at the prospect of our adventuring band resolving his frogling issues. The constable had better be doing something, that's what he's paid to do after all!

We decided to track the froglings back through the brush the way we figured they had come. Armed with machetes, Feno and Myrtle bushwhacked through the wild shrubs. As we walked, our druid Hilja educated us on froglings, particularly where they are likely to be found. Then she mentioned that she knows a spell (locate animals) that could be particularly helpful in this situation. At the edge of a swamp, Hilja memorized and then cast the finding spell and indicated that they were burrowed in a small mud hut with a two by two foot opening. The party positioned themselves around the opening in an attempt to slaughter the creatures as they emerged. But how to make them come out? Lhoss suggested smoking them out. Gnorcia made a valiant effort at building a fire, but it sputtered and died out quickly. Then Lhoss remembered how the ants had poured out of their anthill and shot a magic missile into the opening...

Three froglings sprung out so quickly that nobody could react fast enough to hit them. Armed with crude clubs, one struck Armaziti and another hit Gnorcia. In retaliation, Armaziti swung mighty Melissa and struck the amphibian down in one blow. Myrtle split another down its spine, killing it and splattering Gnorcia in gore as she stabbed the third. Just as Tatania finished the last creature with a magic missile, three new monsters emerged. One managed to bite Gnorcia while the other two missed their attacks. After several misses from the team, Feno demolished one frogling leaving very little behind but a greasy smear. Lhoss and Arnd destroyed another with a one-two attack of magic missile and Bonesplitter. Tatania damaged the third with a magic missile and three additional froglings emerged. Lhoss shouted "we're gonna get so rich!" One of the emerging amphibians lashed out with its tongue and bit Myrtle, to which she exclaimed "I've been slimed!" Armaziti again squished one to death with Melissa and with a cry of "vengeance!" Gnorcia slaughtered another. Lhoss and Hilja did some minor damage to the last two who inexplicably began to do a little "hammer dance". Their audacious amphibious moves were not matched with prowess and they failed on their attacks on Hilja an Arnd. Myrtle and Arnd ended the battle by beheading and slaughtering the last two froglings.

In order to collect the bounty, the party discussed what they should bring back as proof of their work. Heads seemed too big; eyes, limbs, or digits meant they would have to collect all from each frogling which seemed like too much bulk to carry. It was decided that each creature had only one tongue, long and slimy though they may be, and it would be simple enough to slog them back to Orlane. Lhoss took it upon herself to cut out the nine tongues and loop them through her belt. The trip back to Orlane was quite quick and the group presented their trophies to Grover for the bounty, which was happily paid. Feeling like they had gotten in a good day's work, the group cleaned up for a bountiful dinner at the Foaming Mug Inn.

Session 69: Are Penguins Native to the Barrow Marshes?

Tatania, Gnorcia, Lhoss, Yldarb, Armaziti, Chaklboi, and Hilja were watching Arnd dig away at the grassy mound when Yldarb noted the slight progress we had made. Wait, where did he come from? Nevertheless, even though it was scarcely past mid-day, it was decided that the best course of action was to head back to Orlane and purchase the shovels and pick axes that would be needed to speed up the task.

With Armaziti leading us through the mist, we heard a clicking and came upon a trio of skeletons. Oddly enough, they were penguin skeletons. In my youth, I had visited a fair during Richfest. A curious old man had a menagerie of exotic birds he had collected in his travels. There were colorful and fearful birds, each in their own cages, but my favorite were the penguins. Those he let swim and jump in a large pool he had built for them. The inquisitive and playful creatures were not behind bars, as they could not fly away! Imagine! A bird that flies not through the air, but the water! I had not seen one since, but it so captured my imagination that scarcely a week had gone by that I hadn't thought about those magical birds. Thinking about having to fight the reanimated bones of such a lovely creature was a sad thought. Luckily, they were easily startled and Armaziti sent them running. They ran so fast, we were not able to pursue them and attack from behind. The rest of the journey to Orlane was peaceful and we were treated to a rousing song by Yldarb.

It was early evening when we came into town. Although the sun had not yet set, the shops were closed. While the rest of the party headed to the Foaming Mug for a hearty dinner of meatballs, carrots, and cabbage, I headed to the home of my friend Vilma. It was a relaxing evening of good food and conversation until Vilma abruptly issued a warning about the legend of dangerous alters in the barrowmaze. She was clear that the altars should not be touched as they would impart a great curse. A curse that would be brought back to the good people of Orlane. Feeling warned and a little sleepy, I headed back to the inn to sleep. 

The next morning, we had a delicious breakfast of bacon, ham, and eggs with fresh fruit. Kyro decided he would inquire at the temple to see if his persistent injury could be healed. It could, for a price. Between Kyro and Tatania, they came up with the amount and Kyro was restored to full health. As a thank you (and to earn some extra money), Kyro offered himself for some gardening work around the temple grounds. Being the son of a farmer, it is a native skill to him.

After a quick shopping trip, we had the shovels and picks we needed. Yldarb went to put them in the bag of holding, but found it to be in complete disarray. We spent some time organizing it and then headed back to the barrow marsh to resume our digging.

Session 67: Renewing the Resolve to Find Caliburn

On the morning of Day 11 of Flocktime, our group of Armaziti, Calbach, Arnd, Hilja, Tatania, Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Chalkboi awaken in the Foaming Mug Inn to a delicious breakfast. This refurbished inn is proving to be a welcome haven from our adventures. There is a restlessness in the group and some hesitancy to head back to the barrow marshes since we have had such terrible encounters, including losing one of our party in a vicious battle. A few are wondering if it is wise to continue our quest to find the legendary sword Caliburn when we seem to be stumbling around in the dark (so to speak). It is decided that we need to head to the temple of Merika and inquire of Priestess Misha if she can give us any more guidance.

Misha has very little new information for us, but she does inform us that the tomb is to the far east of the marshes and is guarded by magical wards and tests. The Tomb of the Sacred Blade (as it is named) is protected by the order of St. Cuthbert. Luckily we have a skilled Priest of that very order. Hopefully with these additional pieces, we can find and retrieve the sword. Misha adds that a new High Priest is set to arrive in the temple from Hochoch within 7 days.

Feeling somewhat buoyed and reenergized for our quest, we head out of town. On our way out, we pass many travelers headed into Orlane. The increased prosperity is a wonderful sight. The journey to the marshes is blessedly uneventful. We decide as a group to move toward the main entrance to the barrowmaze and then head due east. We will not stop to explore any mounds until we reach the eastern edge and from there we will work our way back, exploring and probing as we go to find the Tomb of the Sacred Blade. We pass (and ignore) a couple of mounds when we hear the distinctive click and clatter of a scorpion. These large insects are the apex predators of the barrow marsh and have proven formidable foes. Luckily, we face only one. It's a quick creature and immediately lands a blow to Armaziti with its claw and then stinger. Then in rapid succession, Armaziti strikes back with Melissa, Tatania blasts it with a magic missile, and Gnorcia delivers the killing blow. Gnorcia attempts to capture its deadly venom, but a slight fumble causes the poison to drip harmlessly into the swamp.

Pressing onward, we encounter two skeletons. Arnd and Lhoss tag team on one, causing it to fall into a harmless pile of bones while Tatania and Hilja crack the second one, resulting in an explosion of dust and shrapnel. Driven, our party continues east.

Session 63: Day 9-10 of Flocktime: A Replenishing Visit to Orlane

As the evening approached, our party decided to head back to Orlane. Along the path, we encountered a haughty cavalier by the name Zein. He was a bit put off by our haggard appearances (everyone looks a little bit rough after doing battle in the barrowmaze), but seemed intrigued by our adventuring. Zein mentioned that he had been looking for a group to join up with, so we offered to let him join us (as much as his busy schedule would permit).

At our usual resting place (the Slumbering Serpent), we were met by the proprietor Olwin. He was sorry to relay that there was no room at all. We decided to try the Golden Grain Inn, but it likewise was fully booked for the night. Feeling pangs of trepidation, we headed over to the Foaming Mug which had been renovated and opened for business. For many of us, this was the first time we had set foot in the place since we had discovered and slaughtered a den of troglodytes in the basement store rooms. But the inn had been transformed into a cozy respite where we all felt comfortable staying for the night, especially when we were served a delicious meal of chicken and bacon pasties with a side of braised greens.

During the dinner, Lhoss overheard a pair of farmers bemoaning the scourge of frogmen encroaching onto their lands. Lhoss and Tatania approached and attempted to get more information from them, but the two men seemed affronted by the incursion into their conversation. Lhoss attempted to smooth things over by mentioning that our group of adventurers (she may have invoked her favorite calling card "The Saviors of Orlean") had done battle with these same vile creatures in our attempts to cleanse the barrowmaze of the evils that possess it. That actually did put the men at ease and they relayed that these frogmen tended to hibernate (or brumate) in the muck and mire and then emerge in the warmer months to harass farmers in the outskirts. As a gesture of appreciation, the farmers bought a pint of ale for both Tatania and Lhoss. While the rest of the party retired for the evening, Ronan attempted to gather some additional information, but came up empty handed and eventually went to bed too. 

A delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, fresh bread, milk, and blackberry juice was served to all guests and our cadre wolfed down a hearty helping. There is always business to do in town, and today was no exception. We headed over to the jeweler, Tandid Schulp, to hock our wares for a hefty sum. Lhoss decided to head over to see Merit Lage at the village store to stock up on oil. Zein scoffed at her for using such a lowly weapon. Lhoss, in an attempt to get his goat, replied "wait'll you see what this stuff does to zombies!", but the man is positively unflappable. Others in the group stocked up on supplies. Gnorcia decided to buy some chickens from Hewitt Twain and as payment for their care, he receives half of their eggs. A tidy little transaction.

Lhoss, ever seeking the company (or even just the sight of) fellow elves, popped over to check if Dorian and Llewelyn were in town. Alas, they were not. But she did have a cheerful chat with the mayor who invited our troupe to dine with him when next we are in town. With business done, we headed out toward the barrowmaze.

Session 60: Continuation of Day 8 of Flocktime: Answers Have a Cost

Our small group (Lhoss, Gnorcia, Armaziti, Hilja, and Arnd) was surprised to be joined by the capable, if little-known, henchman Dwerom. We are always accepting of allies to assist and will press on with whatever mix of heroes show up for the adventure. We took a vote and decided to get back to the task of searching the octagonal burial alcoves. The search yielded a lot of copper pieces which were divided evenly and we moved on.

Behind the first door we opened, we found a pile of rubble in the southeast corner. Gnorcia was the first to probe the pile, with the rest of us right behind her. She discovered that the pile was actually a cleverly disguised stash of supplies. The neatly organized pile included a sledgehammer, iron spikes, oil flasks, torches, arrows, crossbow bolts, and a curious bottle of iridescent blue liquid. We added all of the items to our inventory. Hopefully whoever left these things behind isn't a noble soul whose life depends on these supplies to save their life!

We saw a brick wall and naturally wondered what was on the other side of it. Using our newly acquired sledgehammer, along with the two we already had, Arnd, Dwerom, and Armaziti bashed the wall down. Right away, we felt a cold chill, heard raspy, ragged breathing, and saw a skeletal figure clothed in a robe. Lhoss immediately hit it with a magic missile and Hilja followed by casting faerie fire and bathing it in blue light. Dwerom was unable to hit with two arrows and Armaziti was unsuccessful in turning the undead. The evil creature let out a nasty hiss in response. Arnd attacked with Bonesplitter and landed a decisive hit. Gnorcia then knocked the thing unconscious with color spray. Arnd was able to finish it off, smashing it to pieces. Armaziti inspected the foul creature and identified it as a huecuva, a dangerous undead foe with a touch that produces a similar effect as the mummy's curse. Not wanting to come in contact even accidentally, Gnorcia swept the remains to the side. 

Beyond the brick rubble, we saw a trapezoidal room with six armored stone knights lining the perimeter that each had a skull inset into the wall. In the middle of the room sat a 3 by 3 foot stone bowl with an empty bronze water jug next to it. The party wanted to fill the bowl with water, but were all loathe to empty our water skins to do it. Armaziti memorized and then cast a create water spell, filling the bowl. The water inside began to glow a tantalizing green color, attracting the gaze of Armaziti, Gnorcia, and Lhoss. Lhoss was the first to step up to the bowl and could see that it functioned as a mystical augury, a crystal ball if you will. She knew if she asked it a question, she could see the answer reflected back to her. Going with the first thing that sprung to her mind, she asked if Derrik was still in the barrowmaze. She possessed a ring and tunic that had belonged to him and also a paper with his own writing, which likely aided in the success of the effect. Lhoss was able to see a vision of Derrik, clearly in the barrowmaze (although not in an identifiable spot) conversing with someone unknown. That seemed to be a useful scrap of intel! But what happened next was unexpected...

The eyes of the embedded skulls glowed green, releasing six shadow creatures. Arnd leapt into action, delivering a nice slice with Bonesplitter. Gnorcia attacked with Vengeance, while Lhoss and Dweron killed two by dousing them in burning oil. Meanwhile, two shadows were successful in their strikes, one against Armaziti, one against Gnorcia. Their blows seemed especially damaging, not only causing injury, but also able to drain strength. Armaziti and Arnd were the next successful targets of the creatures. Although Dwerom knew he did not have a magical weapon that could damage the villains, he sliced at one to distract it from pressing its attack on Arnd. Lhoss connected with a magic missile while Gnorcia was able to land another blow. Alas, Melissa and Bonesplitter could not connect. Dwerom's distraction tactic worked and one of the creatures that had been attacking Arnd turned and hit Dwerom instead. But Arnd was not out of the woods as another shadow continued to attack and hit him, draining his strength. After dodging an attack, Armaziti shattered one of the foes with Melissa. Lhoss managed to put herself in a favorable position and offed another with Gary. After an extended back and forth between the heroes and the shadows, Armaziti destroyed one and used turn undead against the other. As it cowered in fear, Gnorcia finished off the last adversary.

Session 57: Day 28 of Planting through Day 8 of Flocktime: Lingering in Orlane

Our group (Ronan, Yldarb, Gnorcia, Tatania, Lhoss, Adelbertus, and Armaziti) thought our stay in Orlane would be a short one, but I think that we find that the cheerfulness of the town makes us look for reasons not to head back to the gloom of the tomb. At any rate, the group (save Armaziti, who was under the watchful care of priestess Misha at the temple) woke to an early lunch at the inn. We noticed that the town gets busier each time we return, with the only arrangements available to us being the common room of The Slumbering Serpent. In fact, all three inns (The Slumbering Serpent, The Golden Grain, and even The Foaming Mug) are filled with visitors. Truly, Orlane has returned to prosperity.

We headed over to the temple to check in on Aramaziti and found him snoring lightly. Misha had been able to lift the mummy's curse, but the cost would be substantial - 1,000 gold pieces. Many in the party balked at the price. Misha, sensing the burden and seizing on an opportunity presented an alternative: a holy sword named Caliburn is rumored to be in the barrowmaze. It is a lawful good intelligent sword and a holy relic of the order of paladins dedicated to Merika. Knowing our reputation, Misha offered a loan against the healing for the return of the sword. Some in the party suggested that the sword may be worth more than the 1,000 gold we would essentially be trading it for. But Misha intimated that such a sword would not respond well to back-alley dealings. It was decided that this noble side quest was a good trade to have our dear Armaziti returned to us in full health. As a show of his usefulness and gratitude, Armaziti used his gauntlet to remove the fear from our party.

Armaziti was healed, but still too weak to travel, so we decided to visit our friends in town and sell off some of the trinkets we have acquired. Unfortunately, Llewelyn and Dorian were off adventuring; Lhoss was longing for some elf company. Fortunately, Vilma is always welcoming with warm bread and hot gossip. Ronan went to the shop to stock up on oil and found that the price of oil had gone up due to increased demand. He also attempted to sell some weapons that he had taken from the slain followers of Orcus and Set. But as they were emblazoned with their wicked insignias, the shopkeeper didn't want them. But the blacksmith would take them off our hands for scrap. Better than hauling them around. Ronan also sold an arrowhead that was attributed to Hern the Hunter. It fetched a good price, so he next tried to sell an arrowhead affiliated with Nerul. Not only was the shopkeeper not interested, he appeared disgusted and almost offended at having been offered it. Lastly, we sold off the gold headband and scepter recovered from the mummy which were quite valuable! Feeling flush with gold, we determined that two in our party should get additional training, which meant another week in Orlane. Well, if we have to...

The morning of day 8 of Flocktime (or Violets if you're an elf - isn't that so much prettier?!) we headed back to the barrowmaze with Gnorcia a newly minted cutpurse and our priest Armaziti. It was an uneventful and pleasant enough hike until we settled into the oppressive gloom surrounding the foreboding burial grounds. Studying our maps, we decided to go to an area that was as yet unexplored. We found a room that held nothing more than a statue with no way in or out. Suddenly we were set upon by six clattering skeletons! 

Yldarb engaged first with his cursed staff. Luckily, he hit and did a nice bit of damage. Ronan missed with his swing while Tatania connected with one of her magic missiles exploding the enemy. With these three gathered around the doorway that separated us from the skeletons, there was no way for the rest of us to engage in melee. Sensing Gnorcia's desire to join the fray, Lhoss offered her a boost to get over and into the scrum. It was not a great hoist, but Gnorcia's dexterity allowed her to land in an advantageous position that she was unable to capitalize on. Adelbertus attempted to use a spell to turn the undead, but was unsuccessful. Armaziti, however, calling upon his advanced skill was able to conjure the spell and the skeletons began to flee. Taking attacks of opportunity, Gnorcia missed, while Yldarb and Ronan hit. Unwilling to let these creatures survive, we pressed our attack until we had crushed every last one. Smashing skeleton skulls? Just another day in the barrowmaze.

Session 54: Days 21-27 of Planting: Rumors and Rest Before Return to Action

Our weary band of adventurers spent a week in Orlane recovering and bolstering their spirits. Lhoss especially needed to recover from the fear that is instilled by the horrors of the Barrowmaze. As many of the group have formed trusted friendships with townsfolk, they were able to pick up several snippets of information and rumors, including:

• There is a rumor that there are mutated people in the Barrowmaze that enslave humans. There are also undead encroaching on the mist and farmland nearest to the tombs.
• We have been fortunate to be able to travel back and forth between Orlane and the Barrowmaze, since we have learned travel is nearly impossible during the seasons of late fall to early spring. Being on the brink of the season of Violets, even frequent travel should not be too difficult.
• Allen Clayborne expressed his great surprise and distress at learning that we regularly sleep (or attempt to sleep) in the Barrowmaze itself. He warned us that it is far too dangerous a place to spend the night. We balked at traveling 8 hours each way every day, but Allen and his wife informed us that there is a more direct path we could take that would cut the hike down to 4 hours.
• Dorian Llewelyn informed us that through his scouting and adventuring he heard of an elven maiden who had been freed from the Barrowmaze and returned to her clan. We have not encountered other noble adventurers in the tombs, but it is good to hear of others who seem to be engaged in a similar righteous cause.
• We heard a rumor from the land of Furyondy (a great kingdom to the West) that the prince has been kidnapped. The lore is that the lands of Furyondy, Verbobonc, and Veluna (whose people worship St. Cuthbert) banded together and combined armies to defeat the vile temple of Elemental Evil. But it appears that the temple was not destroyed and something was left behind. There is talk that the capture of Furyondy's prince is a counterstrike.
• Whisperings of a strange organizing of hill, stone, frost and fire giants. It is highly unusual for giants of different sorts to work together. There are stories of these giants raiding lands in the West.
• We hear more details about Nerul, the evil presence we have seen represented so much in the Barrowmaze. Apparently, Nerul was previously defeated by his two sons, Set and Orcus. Their followers, the acolytes of Orcus and the necromancers of Set, are bitter enemies who are centered in the Barrowmaze. There is a reward for information about these two groups.
• Lastly, Aramaziti had a possibly prophetic dream that the goblin we most recently encountered in the tomb has moved...

So our group of Ronan, Calbach, Gnorcia, Aramaziti, Adalean, Tatania, Arnd, and Lhoss stocked up on supplies and departed Orlane early on a clear summer morning, day 27 of Planting. 

Allen Clayborne led the group out of town and pointed out the new path we should take. It was clear that we would need to do a fair amount of bushwhacking, so we made a hasty trip back to buy two machetes. Rotating the lead so no two persons get overly exhausted, we spent 5-6 hours cutting through brush. Within another two hours, we were at the outskirts of the Dim Forest, 500 yards from where we had previously descended into the tombs. While this first trip took 8 hours, we can tell future travels will be much shorter.

Returning to the gloom of the Barrowmaze, the party retraced its steps to the place Gnorcia was poisoned. Armaziti suggested we look to see if his dream was true. In fact, the goblin was no longer posted in front of the door. Piercing the unnerving silence that is generally observed, we heard the sounds of battle coming from behind the door. Eager to see if we could lend a hand to what we hoped would be another group of adventurers, we all pressed forward. What we saw was a puzzling sight.

We came up behind a group that seemed to be led by a cross-bred orc. Gnorcia's query of "do you need help?" was met with an annoyed grunt. The group was facing off against combatants that included some zombies, so at first the thought was to fold into their ranks and aid them in the attack. But Armaziti quickly and keenly identified one side as cultists of Set while the other side were followers of Orcus. They were both our enemies! There were already casualties on both sides, but we were in the enviable position of being able to backstab the acolytes of Orcus and lob attacks at the necromancers of Set all while they battled each other. The battle did not take long once we set ourselves to our task. Both enemy groups were quickly defeated with Lhoss falling to a vicious attack from the zombies. She was restored by Aramaziti, but suffered an injury to her right hand that will continue to hamper her in attacks going forward.

Looting of the corpses produced some coins, a spell book, a chain with a skull symbol, and some various, unimpressive armaments. The bodies were tossed into a deep pit that was already the final resting place for some other poor souls. The group decided to retreat to the room of Polis to heal and rememorize spells.

Session 45: Day 11 of Planting, part three

One of the oddities of the barrowmaze (the appearance and disappearance of party members seemingly at random) led to a curious reshuffling of our group. Yldarb, Chiki, Lhoss, Hilja, and Ronan appeared just as Blizzard, Hoddour, and Adelbertus seemed to disappear into the dark of the underground tomb. Aramaziti, Gnorcia, Arnd, Tatania, Kyro, and Calbach relayed the difficult encounter they had all just endured. In fact Aramaziti and Tatania had both exhausted their spells and were in need of some time to recover them. But Lhoss, being selfish and impetuous (and feeling fresh as a daisy), was itching for an adventure. Aramaziti found a quiet, secluded room and began to pray, with Chiki watching on. Tatania, on the other hand, tried several spots to memorize her spells, but kept finding her attention pulled by various distractions. She finally settled in a room separate from Armaziti and the rest of the group with Kyro guarding the entrance. So the party was separated into three groups. This seems unwise...

Lhoss, being an absolute pill, began to inch closer to the first door she wanted to open. She moved toward it like a youngling mischievously sneaking up to the pine boughs on the first evening of Needfest, eager to sneak a peek inside the knitted socks. Yldarb uttered a word of caution, which prompted Lhoss to closely examine the door before she opened it. Inside, a low table was standing in the center of the room with a bowl and black urn resting on top. Ronan began to cautiously move toward the table when Hilja rushed in quickly to stand beside him. Slightly distracted, Ronan bumped the table which upset the bowl and spilled 48 silver pieces onto the floor. Lhoss and Yldarb entered and picked up the coins. Ronan scooped up the bowl and absentmindedly handed it to Hilja who took it as a sign of affection. She jauntily placed it on her head and gave Ronan a huge grin and a wink, which he pretended not to notice. Balancing the bowl, Hilja closely inspected the urn which appeared to have something stuck inside. Using her dagger, Lhoss managed to scrape off a few unidentifiable black flakes. Ronan tipped a torch onto the flakes, deciding to see if they would ignite. Indeed they did and the entire room quickly filled with acrid smoke. Lhoss quickly grabbed the urn, Ronan grabbed Hilja, and all four exited the room with Yldarb closing the door behind him. Gnorcia rolled her eyes and asked that we stop setting rooms on fire.

Calbach noticed a south door that was slightly ajar. He pushed into the room and saw the room had bas-reliefs depicting the raising of the dead. Ronan also entered the room and noted that there were several vacant slabs protruding from the walls and sets of footprints that led out of the room. Aside from that creepy vignette, the room was empty.

Refusing to wait for their vital party members who were occupied preparing their spells, the transfixed party followed the footprints that led out of the room to a door with a keyhole. Gnorcia and her collection of keys were called upon to see if she could open the door. The silver key that she had just acquired was too small, but luckily she tried each of the rest of her keys and one actually opened the lock. Though unlocked, the door seemed to be stuck and difficult to move. Lhoss was unable to budge it, but Gnorcia opened several inches. A stale, dusty scent wafted out. Gnorcia gave a mighty heave and pushed it open a few more inches, enough for she and Lhoss to peek inside. They observed a gnome-sized body wrapped in white strands laying on the floor. Ronan slammed his shoulder against the door and created just enough room to slip through, which Lhoss did with characteristic lack of forethought. Seeing that the door was slamming shut behind Lhoss, Ronan reacted instinctively and dove through. The pair found themselves trapped in a room with two giant spiders. They had to act fast to avoid ending up like the poor adventurer on the ground! Lhoss whacked one with her staff while Ronan attempted to crack another with his cudgel. Fortunately they were able to dodge the spiders' nasty pincers. Hearing the fight inside, Gnorcia swiftly unlocked and opened the door. She, Calbach, Yldarb, and even Chiki and Kyro sprung into the room to engage the foul arachnids with the door slamming shut again behind them. Gnorcia landed a killing stab, slicing one of the beasts down its back. But she was the only one to have such luck as the rest of the party and the spiders engaged in a dodging dance with neither weapon nor pincer able to gain purchase. Finally, Ronan's cudgel struck true and caused the second spider to explode in a disgusting shower of gore. 

Lhoss cut away at the spider webs that had encased what was found to be a dead halfling. She and Gnorcia found on the body a pouch filled with 43 electrum and what appeared to be a dagger. Gnorcia picked up the dagger and realized the treasure she now possessed. In the hands of a human or elf, it would be an ordinary dagger. But wielded by a gnome or halfling, it acted like a short sword. In fact, Gnorcia realized with a start, this was the legendary Stout Blade dagger, given to heroes and was especially useful in the hand of a thief. To possess such a weapon, Gnorcia was happy to pass down her old magic dagger to Lhoss. The party glanced around the room and saw large frescoes depicting the temple of Nerul. There was a muttered agreement not to tell Tatania about what was on the walls to avoid another fire today. Gnorcia unlocked the room from the inside using her key and the group exited.

The group's pride at defeating the spiders unscathed was somewhat tempered by the chastisement from Armaziti and Tatania who had been entirely excluded from the afternoon's exploits. Moving forward, we all agreed it would be wise to pay attention to the needs of each party member. It's just that our group has swelled to such a large and unwieldly size. But fate has a way of balancing things out. It may be that this barrowmaze and it's inexplicable powers may find a way to limit our numbers.

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.

Session 38: Day 2-3 of Planting: the party expands

As Lhoss, Gnorcia, Ronan, Armaziti, Chiki, and Arnd surveyed the bones of the destroyed skeletons, they were glad to see their companion Calbach had rejoined them. He is a trusted and valued member of the team. Then suddenly without explanation, three figures appeared, seemingly out of thin air. A monk initiate called Blizzard, Tatania the evoker, and a thief who goes by the name Hoddour were as surprised to see us as we were to see them. We briefly explained to them where they were (the barrowmaze) and our mission (to find and defeat Nanor). To their credit, all three seemed eager to join up with us on our adventure. Naturally that means we will have to split the treasure more ways, but with the number of near deaths and difficult foes we've faced already, a few more helping hands are most welcome.

We all puzzled over what to do with the trap we had discovered, not knowing its purpose. Calbach thoughtfully noted that springing the trap intentionally might be preferable to coming across it and accidentally setting it off later on. There was a lot of back and forth over the wisest course of action. Growing listless, Lhoss studied the door that the skeletons had emerged from. She saw a spring and deduced that the trap was likely meant to open the door and catch unsuspecting trespassers off guard. She closed the door. Gnorcia tossed Calbach a skeleton and instructed him to lob it onto the stone which triggered the trap, which he did. Lhoss was half right; the door she had just closed sprung open and additionally a large stone slab shot up, blocking egress from the room. If the trap had not been found, the first person through the door would have been sealed inside a room with a horde of skeletons! Terrifying! We were briefly separated from Chiki who had been outside the room, keeping a rear guard. Fortunately we had also previously discovered the switch to disarm the trap which Chiki flipped to let us all out.

It was noted that a few among our group needed healing after the skeleton encounter. Armaziti blessed them after which we collectively decided to move to another room where we were less likely to be trapped in order to rest, recover, and regain our spells. A watch was set up. With ten members of the party, five short two-person shifts were assigned which allowed us all a relatively restful night. On Ronan and Arnd's watch, they heard scratching coming from the hallway. They decided to wait quietly while the creatures moved closer, closer, closer, and then gratefully past the door. At the end of the last shift with no other disturbances, everyone ate and prepared to journey on. Blizzard expressed that she was feeling a growing sense of claustrophobia. Perhaps this gloomy place is intensifying some latent fears. For now she seems able to press on.

The group headed south out of the room to a hallway that had flour on the floor which some of the group remembered encountering before. This portion of the barrowmaze had not been thoroughly explored and Lhoss found a door that had not yet been opened by the group. She attempted to open it, but it was stuck. Ronan, believing himself equal to the task also tried without luck. Finally Arnd (needing a win) was able to unstick the door. Unfortunately for him, he was met with a pack of zombies!

Zombies are slow creatures and Ronan was able to get the jump on them with a mighty swing of his sword. Blizzard was able to finish one off with a bolt from her crossbow and Tatania hit another with a magic missile (these new folks are already pulling their weight!). Gnorcia was able to move in and hit one with a dart. The doorway was crowded and couldn't allow additional melee fighting. Lhoss, having no ranged weapons or spells that work on undead grasped her last flask of oil. "This trick never works" she muttered lighting it and lobbing it toward the zombies. But miraculously it worked incredibly well! The flask landed squarely on the head of one zombie, melting off its sickening, dead skin and killing it. The oil splashed onto another zombie and continued to burn on the ground where a couple of the mindless brutes walked through and took further damage. The zombies were unable to connect their thrashing blows with any of our heroes who dispatched the foes: Gnorcia with another dart, Ronan, slicing one in twain with his sword, Arnd connecting with his mace, and Calbach finishing the last with a killing blow from his sword.

Jubilant from the battle, Lhoss saw a door that she attempted to open, only to find herself once again not strong enough to open the sturdy door. She called upon the strongest teammate at hand: Gnorcia. Of course, Gnorcia easily opened the door. Inside they found four pedestals holding four black velvet funerary boxes. Inside, each held a right handed black velvet glove. Lhoss also noticed a false bottom in the box which concealed a switch. Feeling impetuous, Lhoss instructed Calbach, Hoddour, and Tatania (who had also entered the room) to put on the gloves and flip the switches on the count of "three". Amazingly, they did! A door opened to reveal a crypt thick with cobwebs and a body lying atop a block of stone. Hoddour had a burst of inspiration and grabbed Tatania's torch and threw it into the room to burn away the cobwebs. It burned the cobwebs, all right. It also burned Hoddour and Tatania and the clothes off the body to boot. Tatania was a bit miffed, but walked in to investigate the body. She found a sturdy iron wood cudgel. While Tatania could not wield it, Ronan said that he could use a blunt weapon, so it was given to him.

Lhoss' keen elf eyes noticed a secret door. She was able to open it (much to her delight) and found an alter to the forest god Fharlanghn. Tatania and Ronan cleaned the cobwebs from the alter after which Ronan knelt out of a sense of honor, if not worship. Though Lhoss is not a worshiper of Fharlanghn, she aligns with his ideologies and said a simple prayer to him that she was familiar with. All three felt as though they had been blessed by their interactions.

Lhoss proceeded to find a series of additional secret doors. Behind one was a bag fat with silver. While Lhoss weighed the danger of rushing in, Hoddour did run in and grab the bag. He was attempting to keep it all for himself when Lhoss explained (at daggerpoint) that treasure is to be shared equally among all. The little thief showed a surprising acquiescence. Behind another hidden door was found a pair of unlucky adventurers impaled on a wall. The stench was horrendous! Ronan and Lhoss both began puking, but Hoddour was able to withstand the smell and retrieve a backpack with gold and silver. He needed no additional persuading to share this time.