Delving Further into Barrowmaze
This session (Barrowmaze 14/Northern Reaches 30) was played on Thursday, March 15, 2012.
Sol Level 1 Human Fighter
Serge Level 1 Human Thief and later Matteus Level 1 Human Thief
Balifar Level 3 Cleric of St. Ygg
Kelg Level 3 Dwarven Fighter
Cromwell Level 3 Cleric of St. Ygg
As well as the men-at-arms Caldwell, Rothmat, Norman, Mergle (Halfling), and the torch-bearer Sturgat, and later Mulloc and the torch-bearer Garmat.
The party began play in town, where a dangerous incident occured for 'the three", especially Kelg. As the party began to gather they heard an uproar and noticed an angry mob crowding some unlucky bastard. The party approached and noticed it was none other than "Killer" Kelg at the centre of the vicious mob. Everyone in the party walked away saying "I don't even know who that guy is!" and indeed they didn't, except for the two clerics of St. Ygg, Balifar and Cromwell.
Now Kelg was being accused of murdering the nobleman Krothos Ironguard, as he was wearing his fancy magical platemail (You may remember Krothos as the leader of the tomb robbers from last session). Cromwell wanted no part of it, he suspected that any attempts to calm the mob would only end in him getting torn apart for affiliation with the murder. Balifar On the other hand was not so heartless. His conscience torn between helping his friend and obeying the law, he waded through the masses. He stepped up and shouted: "This is a good Dwarf! This is an honourable Dwarf, Believe me! His only crime is that he dawned the armor of the late Krothos Ironguard who was killed by skeletons, not my man or by dwarf!" of course this was a complete lie as Kelg slew the noble with his heavy crossbow not weeks before. Luckily, this managed to quell the mob.
Cromwell, who felt slightly bad for not sticking his neck out, helped Balifar write a letter of explanation (more lies) to Lord Ironguard, and they agreed to return the "stolen" platemail. Whether this will appease lord Ironguard or not remains to be seen.
After that nasty business, the new members of the party joined The Three, hired some men-at-arms and torch-bearers, and set out!
Entering Barrowmaze, the party went down a previously unexplored path that led them to a hall. This hall had a portcullis and several rooms with doors ajar. Looking inside they found the husk of a dead spider and not much else. In the next room down, The party was beset by stirges! They didn't pose much trouble to the party, though there was a moment of levity when Cromwell smashed a stirge off of Serge's body with none other than a wildly swinging flail. Serge thanked his lucky stars he still had a face afterwards. Among the feces from the stirges (yes that's right we sifted through stirge crap, we have no shame) we found several very valuable gems. Moving on down the hall, Cromwell detected evil coming from the final room. The party layed down oil and coaxed the creature out of the room. It turned out to be a phantom so our oil was not very effective. Most of the party fled in fear at this point with the exception of Kelg, Sol and Balifar. Of those who fled, Serge and Sturgat ran away from the entrance and disappeared. Sturgat's body was later found in a pool of his own blood.
Phantom! Run Away!
Balifar managed to abate the phantom with his holy symbol, and inside the crypt was a runic tablet. Upon reading the tablet, Balifar was struck blind by a curse, and had to be escorted out by Sol. After regrouping near the entrance, the party fled to town. In town, they met a quirky thief named Matteus, he professed his skill with the shortbow was the best in all the land! So the party allowed him to come along. Cromwell also took the time to hire some retainers named Mulloc and Garmat. Also, Balifar dropped a large amount of coin to the clerics of Barrowcrest to have his curse of blindness removed.
Returning to Barrowmaze, the party set off down a different corridor. In this corridor they found a strange room with three polished skulls. The skulls were completely mundane with no trace of enchantment, and simply served as a macabre centre piece to the room. Searching more closely around the walls though, the party found a secret room with… a dead adventurer! Needless to say it was a grisly sight. However, the party's spirits were lifted when they found the skeleton grasping a bag of platinum coins.
Secret Room with Dead Adventurer
Moving on down the hall, the party inspected a broken down wall that lead to a crypt-room. Inside were three fiercly evil huecuva! The party fought tooth and nail against them, striking with halberd, arrows and all manner of equipment. and soon, the nasty abominations fell. To the party's great delight, each huecuva had a small pouch of electrum on their belt. After the encounter with the strange huecuva, the party came upon some burial alcoves deeper in the crypt, and found a funerary bowl full of gold. Luckily there was nothing guarding it. Even farther into the maze, more burial alcoves were found, though they already appeared to be looted. Cromwell suggested they leave at once, but Matteus and the others insisted on "giving it a once over" of course the party was attacked by Skeletons. The party thrashed and bashed, and took the skeletons out in less than three rounds. there was no treasure to be had there though so the party moved on.
As the party wound their way through the corridors of the maze, stumbling over a dead adventurer or two, they made it to a large pillared room where there was the husk of a dead giant snake. The party looked around and were quickly beset by giant rats and then more huecuva by the noise of the first battle! the party fought tooth and nail and were spread out across the room. Matteus shot with his bow, Kelg swung with his magical broadsword, Sol and Mulloc swung with mace and halberd and the two clerics, Balifar and Cromwell chanted spells. With their combined efforts the huecuva were ground into dust, leaving behind no treasure this time. At this point the party agreed it was time to flee, as most of their spells and other resources had been used up.
Huecuva
