Sundered Barrow

General Summary

“Good news everyone!” The imposing figure of Vengar the Indomitable cries across the feasting room of the Guild Hall. The old man commands the respect of every battle hardened warrior, adventurers, and assorted derring-doers. The light glinted off his glasses and his white cloak shone.
"There has been a terrible earthquake!" He took a step forward, displaying his finely crafted blue sandals and leviathan leather breeches.
"A hill outside of the city was almost completely levelled!" Vengar clasped his gnarled hands together amd glanced about the gathered members.
"The ground opened up to reveal a spooooooky set of stone stairs leading down to an ominous bronze door. Of course, we sent one of the apprentices out to see what was in there.
Garry’s not come back yet, and we should go and look for him. His being the favoured son of a member of the City Council has nothing to do with it. I would be willing to send countless Guild members after any of our number who vanished in the line of duty!
The inscriptions around the door suggest that there may be treasure within.
I can’t imagine why anyone would use such powerful curses otherwise."
Vengar spies Graz dancing on a table, shaking her tambourine, as Lil is shouting encouragement. A gnarled finger points at your group, and makes his decision.
" You! You'll do. Be off with you. Bring back that treasure!
Oh, and the boy."
You head out of the main gates of Direwold and, paying no heed to the ruined buildings and wails of the stricken, head towards the earthen mound before you and it’s rumoured riches. Your only distraction was to visit the Guild stables on the way out. As Lil entered, there was a shriek and a thump as one of the horses suddenly and mysteriously died. A stableboy came running out of the stall opposite with conspicuously damp britches. “She’s doing it again! Sir! Come quick! She’s doing it again!” The young boy scurries out of the door before you can intercept him. Graz picks out a reliable pony and was strapping on the saddle as she heard an unnatural whisper and a glow of pale green from the direction of the deceased horse. Rolling her eyes, the Bard mounted and urged the pony onwards.
Reaching your destination a mere hour later, Lilliana still astride her skeletal horse and Graz bringing up the rear, you survey the scene before you. The recent shift in the earth has indeed revealed a shadowy stairway leading down. Clumps of earth and tufts of the once pristine grass lay scattered about. At the bottom, you can see a door of bronze. It’s surface bereft of intricate carvings and ancient bas-relief. Across the lintel and down the pillars which form the doorway are some deep foreboding carvings.
Lil deciphered the Elven lettering.
“Those who enter shall find their trouser-parts infested with weasels and their sandwiches forever shall have that, like, weird soggy lettuce. The stuff that’s always wet and tastes a bit vinegary.”
“Turn back now, thou foul disturber of eternal slumber! To enter here is to know terror unfathomable and to forever misplace the item thou hast just placed upon thy table, or in that drawer, or perhaps a pocket.”
“Those who reside within this place shall, upon being disturbed, tear off your leg and beat you with the soggy end.”
“Wazza woz ‘ere!”
As you enter, you notice the ground here has scuff marks on it. You are not the first to come this way. It is pitch black inside. Liliana marches on confidently, her Shadar Kai eyes easily compensating for the gloom. A few choice expletives and some clanking from behind the proud Cleric as Graz comes trotting along, wrestling her lamp from her pack. As you wander the tunnel, you are aware of a soft sobbing sound from ahead. You reach a blockage in the tunnel. There, a middle aged man in homespun shirt and trousers is clutching his head in his hands. His shoulders are shaking and the floor beneath him is wet with his tears. “They killed her! They killed my Tali!”
At the man’s feet you notice a faint pink appendage sticking out from under the fallen rocks. It looks to be a rat or mouse tail. As the man curled up, inconsolable, you set to work clearing the rubble. Eventually a hole large enough to squeeze through was created, and you were able to retrieve the body of Tali, a small white mouse. Lilliana stooped to retrieve the crushed and broken body and, holding it by the tail, flung it to the man. He snatched the mouse from the air and, pausing only to smooth the fur on Tali, ran towards the exit. As the sounds of his retreating feet faded, Graz thought it was strange how a human would have ventured this far without at least a torch given their inability to see in the dark. Pointing this out to Lil would probably prove a fruitless venture, given her attitude to non-Elves.
Coming upon a door, Lilliana demonstrated her superiority by allowing Graz the chance to be the one who opened it before Lilliana entered the room beyond. Sensing something was amiss, she signalled to Graz and a faintly glowing hand of blue light formed in the centre of the room. Floating towards a pile of earth and stone in the corner of the room which, now you are paying more attention to it, you notice is moving. The hand extended a digit and poked into the earth. As it did so, a massive claw shot out of the ground faster than an arrow from a bow. The chitinous surface was covered in barbed spines, and attached to a spindly limb, the end of which was still below ground. Moments later, the stone floor erupted. A large insectoid creature stands before you. Mandibles the length of a swords blade clack together, and it’s antennae twitch at every movement you make. It soon loses appetite for adventurers after a few attacks breach it’s defences, and it burrows into the ground. That leaves Lilliana with but one more foe. For, unnoticed until now, there is another door in this room.
Through teamwork and no small effort, the stone door eventually grinds open to reveal another dark room. There is little in the way of comfort to be had here, just austere masonry and a sense that something isn’t right.
As you carefully make your way to the other side of the room, the floor explodes in a shower of stone splinters and soil. A large insectoid creature appears, and tried to tear off Lilliana’s arm. After it’s prey put up more of a fight than expected, and it received a few glancing blows, it returned to the earth, taking a sword swing to the side as a parting gift.
The tension left the room for a moment, and you confidently reached the far end of the room. A cunning device of stone awaited. Applying all your knowledge of physics and engineering, the two of you were able to cause the stone to swing in to the next room. As the door edged open, a sickly blue light began to show. The first thing you see as the door opened fully was some kind of eldritch altar. Carved into the semblance of some other-worldly skull, the eye sockets, nose hole and mouth all glowed with this blue radiance.
The twang of a bowstring and the clink of an arrowhead hitting stone. Someone swearing in Goblin. As you take cover and take in your surroundings, you see several Goblins hiding behind the columns and bigger Goblin stood across the room in the open. On the floor, beside the altar, is the body of a young looking human male. Graz confirms this, as Lilliana says they all look the same to her.
The Goblins pose little trouble to such seasoned warriors as yourselves, and you dispatch them in short order. Graz even convincing one to sacrifice themselves upon the altar, which opens a spiral staircase down. Leaving one Goblin to tell the tale, and paying no heed to the rasping sounds coming from the floor, you descend the staircase.
You behold a grand mausoleum of sorts. Golden statues surround a golden sarcophagus in the centre of the room. At the opposite end to you is another large golden statue, stood upon a massive stone chest. Four braziers fill the room with a warm red light, but are not burning fuel and seem to be magical in nature. Flanking you are two more of the golden statues, and, to your left, is an enormous statue. The base must be ten foot square, and it reaches fifty or sixty feet up. The figures are multi-limbed with humanoid hands, but you are not familiar with their species. Humanoid skulls are depicted on some of them. As you enter the room, the shadows shift and draw your attention to the rooms two occupants. Lilliana is about to flee when she recalls something. These strange creatures are not true Beholders. They appear the same. That giant eye, the weird floating sphere. The tentacles with an eye at the end. But these have four tentacles, not ten. They are still fearsome, but these are Spectators! Perhaps they were summoned to guard this place. They are known to be intelligent and wise, although also terribly racist and quite implacable if they feel one is threatening them or their charge. The Spectators are intently focused on each other and so not immediately notice your presence. The sarcophagus between them is covered in gold leaf and bears the likeness of a stocky mage. Robed, and with a beard which flowed to it’s waist, the mage must have stood only five feet tall at the most when alive. Arcane symbols and runes had been etched into the sarcophagus.
As you approach, full of curiosity at who could reside in such splendour, and if they had tried to take any of their personal wealth with them, there is a flash of light.
The sound of rushing air. The taste of yellow. The smell of chances not taken.
A crashing noise and the unmistakable feel of a thatched roof catching you. Briefly, before the thatch gives way and dumps you onto the stone floor of another room. Banners and shields hang from the walls. An incomplete but impressive Wyrm skeleton hangs from the ceiling. Filing cabinets are arranged across the floor. You here a hissing sound. As you look around, you see a woman with dark glasses and a well cut suit of emerald green silk is regarding you with a smirk on her face. The hissing sound is her barely contained snigger. Or it could be coming from the snakes growing from her scalp. Linda. Brilliant. At least you made it home.

Report Date

30 May 2021