Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 187
Adventurers
| Character | Race | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaric | Human | Paladin level 4 | Big, doe eyed country boy with wavy blond hair and willingness to do the right thing. Paladin of Tyr. |
| Aurella | Elf | Fighter level 1 / magic-user level 1 | Exiled and chased out of her tree commune, she now wanders the Wilderlands. |
| Ignaeus | Elf | Fighter level 4 / magic-user level 5 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Jacob Vin | Human | Assassin level 4 | Slick black hair, inconspicuous dress, youthful for his age, and of keen instincts. |
| Kenso San | Human | Fighter level 2 | An arrogant and self-assured sellsword wandering Wilderlands to prove he can best anyone. |
| Petrus | Human | Paladin level 1 | Follower of Surya, God of the Sun and Ruler of the Planets, sporting a large sun motif on his shield. |
| Wilbalt Abendeurer | Human | Fighter level 2 | A burly blonde barbarian; Warmund's younger brother and a better swordsman of the two. |
Thawmist 16th, Airday
Alaric led a party of seven to a tumuls two leagues north-west from Ironburg. He led them there after baron Sig informed him that scouts have spotted goblins digging out skeletal remains. “Alaric, get rid of the denizens. You can keep whatever you find. But you must bring me a list of everything you find.”
Having had enough of the accursed ruin known as Castle Yukanthur, adventurers gathered up and jumped at the opportunity to kick some goblin ass. They were joined by two newcomers—Aurella the Elf, and Petrus the Paladin—and set out for the tumulus with the first ray of sun.
Adventurers opted to take the longer route, following the hilly terrain instead. This, they reasoned, would give them a vantage point. They arrived around noon. Their assumption was accurate, and they spotted the tumulus nearly a thousand yards away.
It was a rectangular affair, roughly three hundred feet wide, three hundred feet long, and between thirty and fifty feet tall. Dugouts were noticeable on the southern side. A singular, albeit large, tree adorned the top. It stood proud on the south-west side.
The party spent an hour circling the barrow. This preventive scouting paid of handsomely for they spotted a large vaulted entrance into the burial mound, as well as its guarding. A large, obese beast, munching on something, sat by the entrance.
“An ogre.” more experienced adventurers muttered.
“Leave it to me.” Aurella offered.
She got down on all fours and prowled towards the foul beast. She went from bush to bush. From tree trunk to tree trunk. And when she got in position, some one hundred and forty yards away, she gingerly got up to kneeling position, and took out her longbow.
The ogre waved at her. It was munching on what appeared to be a humanoid leg. Aurella stood up and fired at the beast, twice. She hit he dirt behind it, twice.
The monster laughed and ran forward.
Aurella shoot again, twice. Her first arrow nicked the beast, making it laugh even harder. Second arrow flew into void.
But Aurella was not alone.
Alaric and Kenso ran forth, checking the ogre's progress. Wilbalt, Petrus, and Jacob were right behind.
Ogre smacked Alaric with its gnarly, half-eaten leg. The paladin recoiled from blunt force trauma, but stood still. Wilbalt used the opportunity to drive glaive straight into the beast's neck. It gurgled blood, and then toppled over.
It wore nothing but loincloth. It also had a large sack tied to a rope. Inspecting it revealed disgusting snacks—one human left arm, one elves right arm, one kneecap, and one half-chewed hobbit head.
Wilbalt took an interest into the last one. He picked out the head and fingered it. Lo and behold, a golden ring was stuck in what little remained of its gullet. While he did that, others advanced toward the tumulus.
Kenso and Jacob climbed it, and investigated the tree. Alaric and Ignaeus flanked the large vaulted entrance, twenty feet wide, and thirty feet tall at the apex. Stone doors laid smashed on the ground in front of them. Aurella and Petrus continued forth, inside.
Light shone all the way in, down the sixty feet wide corridor, and into a square chamber forty feet long and wide. Doors were straight ahead. The duo moved forth, laser-focused on them.
They heard a whistle the their right.
They turned just in time to receive three javelins to the face.
Aurella went down.
Petrus dodged and blocked.
Three filthy goblins giggled behind portcullis.
Petrus jumped to the side, flattening himself against the east wall.
Ignaeus and Wilbalt ran in, and killed all three goblins in seconds, extinguishing their mocking voices forever. Little fools remained too close to the iron grates. Two fled into the darkness beyond.
Adventurers dragged Aurella outside. She survived hear ordeal, but was properly banged up. Still, she offered to carry the torch and be useful however she can.
Kenso and Jacob informed the party that there is a hole beneath the tree, leading down, alongside its roots. It is deep and dark, so they did not see where exactly it leads.
“Let's go in!”
And so they went in. Jacob shone a light down the portcullis. A rectangular chamber, thirty feet wide and forty feet long, with an arched exit to the south-east.
North doors were locked.
Jacob stepped forth. He picked the lock like a Master Thief.
“SNAP!”
“Uh-oh.”
Within seconds Jacob, Petrus, and Kenso were doused in thick and sticky military oil.
“TZUNK! TZUNK!”
Two small quartz-stones hit against each other.
They failed to produce a spark.
And luckily, neither of the three held a torch.
“Look at them, the Greasy Boys!”
“Oh, open the doors already!”
“They are stuck.”
With a little bit of muscle and grease, the adventures forced their way into a rather disgusting chamber. It measured forty by thirty feet, and was filled with sacks of various sizes, covered with writhing maggots and buzzing flies, and sitting in pools of coagulated blood. Half a dozen of barrels contained frothing brown liquid, a rancid mix of piss and ale. Since Tam was not present, the quality of ale remains undetermined.
But west wall is what preoccupied Ignaeus and Aurella the most. A carved relief of a skeleton warrior laid in a coffin dominated the central portion.
“Aha!”
Upon a closer inspection, Ignaeus observed that the eyes are recessed. He promptly poked both of the sockets. Left eye depressed, and the relief slid to the side, revealing a thirty foot long corridor. Seven more, identical reliefs adorned the corridor.
The elf moved in, while others observed from the filthy chamber. He systematically checked each relief. Only two had the same style of recessed eyeballs—both at the end of the corridor.
He pressed the south one.
It rotated south.
Dank air assailed his nostrils. Before him was a tunnel, but not hewn stone nor natural cave. It was packed soil reinforced with wooden beams. Puddle of stagnant water were visible here and there. Water seeped through the sides.
Ignaeus and Alaric took the lead. Several alcoves were visible. Approaching the first revealed its inhabitant: a skeleton dressed in ancient leather armour and horned helmet, holding a rusty blade. Wilbalt spotted a large bronze band around its left biceps. “Would it fit me?” he thought. The skeleton's head turned towards Ignaeus. It did not move.
The elf made a few more steps forth. The head followed. Body did not move. Similar skeleton, with similar behaviour, was in the next alcove as well.
“let's go back. I don't like this. Could collapse on us anytime.”
Adventurers fell back into the corridor. Secret doors they came through had close. There was no skeletal relief on their side.
“Uh-oh.” somebody uttered.
Ignoring that, Ignaeus pressed the eyes of the northern relief.
It swung open, revealing a hewn corridor leading forth. Jacob's lantern shone the full length of it, revealing it opens up into a chamber.
Stepping in, all felt frigid cold. Their breaths became visible.
Ignaeus marched first.
Jacob and Alaric behind him.
Aurella and Kenso in step.
Petrus at the rear.
Wilbalt behind him. Daydreaming about bicep bands.
Alaric felt a presence of great evil. He knew that he cannot leave this place until he cleanses it. Nay, he was compelled to do so.
Ignaeus came to the archway.
Onyx black slab, nine inches tall, and ten feet wide and long, dominated the chamber.
Upon it a pale human laid, of taut skin and wild, white mane. Dried flowers and broken twigs adorned its flowing hair. Hundreds of copper pieces were strewn over the creatures chests, genitalia, and thighs. At its waist, on a girdle, an impeccable looking broadsword with a wolf-head pommel rested.
Pale figure raised its head, an gazed at Ignaeus with otherworldly malice.
Ignaeus quadrupled himself.
Secret doors shut behind them.
“Oh no, now we are entombed for real!” somebody eeked out.
“I think if the thing would want to attack us, it would've done already.” Wilbalt whispered “Maybe we can get out of a situation with talking for once?”
He could not believe the words he had just said...
Aurella's account by After.
Meme by Lord Jubalon Flux.
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