Fifth Expedition

[Raven Crowking]

Is everyone ready? Then we shall begin.

The trip to the Barrowmaze is uneventful. Although you get started later than you would like, the lengthening days mean that you reach the barrows shortly after noon, with long hours stretching before dark. Even with the warmer sun, the area is misty and damp.

[Dumnbunny]

Is everyone ready?

Almost. Was Murq successful in this?

Murq tries to sell or trade his mithril bar for weapons and armor.

[Dogma]

Jonas and Willem also have a bar of mithril they got off Olaf's body. They'd like to sell that also.

I have a list of adventuring items they bought (sacks, oil, crowbar, etc) that I need to add to their character sheets

[Raven Crowking]

Sorry; that slipped my mind.

In Helix, you can get the equivalent of goods valued at 25 gp per bar. However, one kindly villager suggests that at trip to the elves of Helmen's Howe, to the southeast near the borders of the Mickle Wood, might result in a better price It is well known that elves value mithral more than men.

[beermotor]

Gunnar's back, decked out in chainmail. He tells the group that Grim's retired. "My cousin's working for the Lord, now, in the keep. He'll be our dwarf on the inside, if we need one."

Daryll One-ear is back, too, with a grim face, and a vicious looking dog. He says little to nothing.

Cisneros, his wounds healed, returns. He wields his two-handed sword with much more authority than before, and profusely thanks every member of the party for their help in obtaining the jewel that saved him from his torment.

Howard Phillipson also returns, an avaricious gleam in his eyes. He seems a bit feverish.

Willie is nowhere to be seen (he remains in town on standby, just in case...)

[Dogma]

I updated the character sheets with the new gear they were given/bough so I'm good to go.

Willem the Halfling and Jonas show up, deck out in the new leather armor and loaded down with adventuring gear.

Jonas pulls self consciously at his new armor and hold his spear awkwardly.

"Quit yer fidgitin' beanpole," says Willem, smacking the taller man on the leg with he butt of his spear. "That new leather yer wearin' may just save yer life down there."

[Raven Crowking]

Anything else before we get to the moors? If so, sing now......

[Dumnbunny]

I'll be adding the gear to Murq's sheet in an hour or two; he's going to hang onto the Mithril for now.

[Dumnbunny]

Good to go.

[Raven Crowking]

Sledge Hammer: A decent sledge hammer can be bought in Helix for 8 sp. A sledge hammer will not fit into a backpack, but can be used as a makeshift weapon. If you wished to purchase a sledge hammer before leaving, adjust your character sheet accordingly.

The trip to the Barrowmaze is uneventful. Although you get started later than you would like, the lengthening days mean that you reach the barrows shortly after noon, with long hours stretching before dark. Even with the warmer sun, the area is misty and damp.

You can see other standing stones and barrow mounds looming up out of the mist, although the path seems to lead directly to the central mound. Some of the other mounds have closed stone doors, others have open holes where doors once were, and are now open to the outer world. Still others have no sign of doors at all, being covered entirely with peaty sod.

The largest barrow, to which the path leads, has its stone door wrenched down and lying broken before it. Old bones and other filth lie in the trampled mud before the entry to this mound, but someone or something has taken the time to pile up several human-looking skulls, about a dozen or so, to one side of the entrance. The uppermost skull wears a battered and weather-beaten hat at a jaunty angle.

[beermotor]

This was the one through which we've entered a few times, right? Just making sure.

"Easy boy," Daryll says to his dog. He walks up cautiously to the pile of skulls and examines them. Does the hat look familiar at all? Do the skulls suggest what race the beings were, are they recently de-fleshed or are they ancient and just piled here recently?


Gunnar defers to Jed. "You're the priest of the dead, aren't you? What do you make of this?"

Cisneros studies the area as well, looking for any other markings, signs, or anything out of the ordinary.

[Dumnbunny]

Jed crouches down a couple meters back from the pile of skulls, peering at the pile and comparing what he sees before him with what he read in the Book.

[Raven Crowking]

@beermotor: That is correct.

The hat is old, and not specifically familiar to any of you.

The skulls all seem to be old as well, very old actually...probably taken from the burial vaults.

Jed is not aware of any particular significance related to these skulls.

[Dogma]

"We ain't gonna be scared off by a pile 'o old bones, is we? Most likely put here here by that other group ta scare us away," says Willem. "They didn' like the thought of us walkin' off with more treasure."

[beermotor]

"Right then," Gunnar says. "I'm with Willem. Let's go, and see what these sledgehammers we've brought can do inside."

Cisneros and HP follow Gunnar into the mound.

Daryll follows at the back of the party with his dog.

[Raven Crowking]

It is an undeniable fact that the dog doesn't like entering the mound, although it follows with its hackles raised, a low growl rumbling in its throat. Nonetheless, the entire seems much like it has in past visits - steps lead down to a 60-foot diameter chamber supported by four great stone pillars. A hole in the floor in the center gives access to the region beneath, and the iron tripod makes this easy enough. A rope is dangling from the tripod, its far end disappearing off into the darkness below.

[beermotor]

Lighting a torch, Cisneros will peer down through the hole into the room below, and shush the group to more effectively listen. Anything moving or making noise down there?

[Raven Crowking]

All is silent. With the hole a good 30 feet above the floor of the room below, though, there is little you can see.

[beermotor]

"Anyone feeling particularly brave?" HP says, sneering a bit. But he stands well back from the hole.

Gunnar snorts, then stows his warhammer and sledgehammer in his pack and begins shimmying down the rope. "Somebody come down with a torch next," he says.

[Dogma]

"We can do better 'n that.' replies Willem.

"Give yer lantern and the rope," he says turning to Jonas. The ex-sailor then deftly ties the lantern to the rope, lights it from the torch, and lowers it down the hole.

"Let me go down and untie it, then ya ken pull it back up and carry it down with ya." He hands the rope to Jonas before shimmying down the rope himself.

Jonas will follow the halfling's instructions before heading down also