This is a tad late as I have been super busy since this session, so I may have forgotten a few things. Also my notes are complete trash – usually it will contain a bunch of numbers scrawled onto a page, unlabeled tick boxes, and phrases like “rocks fall” without context. When playing they make sense to me, but are complete gibberish outside of it. None the less, here’s my memory of our last session.
Cast of characters
- Barkface the Druid, played by EvilTables
- Donnie the Bard, played by Malley
- Lothomir the Elf, played by Graytung
- Sky the Druid, played by John/Captain Caveman
- Uriel the Ranger, played by Dante
Along with their hirelings:
- Arnd Cobblestone, a Dwarf they found in a pit
- Cravos, a thug from Helix who serves as their torchbearer
- Snookums, Cravos’ flea-bitten hound
- Foamy, Sky’s befriended dog
Hither, mine hirelings!
Deciding they needed more muscle, our group sent the crier about the town to call for sell-sword applications. A motley of knaves responded, but two won the employ of the party – Strutter, a scoundrel bedecked in a bandoleer of oil flasks claiming that any problem was solvable via flame, and callous Irya – a former squire who left her lord to attain knighthood solo.
Back to the maze
Seeking a large haul, the group returned to the grave site where their block & tackle was set up, descending down. After a bit of negotiation the group decided to return to the north section of the maze, near the rooms where they lost poor Veremund days before.
Before trekking all the way there, the group spent some time looking around the room that had the disembodied hammering sound throughout it. They built a human pyramid, but were unable to ascertain the exact source of the sound.
As this was going on they heard a disturbance in the rubble from the west hallway. Lothomir peered out and saw four zombies stumbling towards them. Battle lines were drawn, flaming oil thrown at the creatures, arrows and stones loosed. Two zombies fell, but two more were able to approach the doorway. Lothomir, Sky, Strutter, Arnd and Irya drew melee weapons and charge. Poor Strutter’s helmet was gripped by a zombie, and he was unable to unbuckle the strap securing it. The zombie clutched tight ripped the head from the poor hireling.
Upon returning to the room where the massive snake made its home they found a desiccated corpse in the corner that had not been there, and decided to dig through the bones, noticing they had been distrubed.
As Barkface lifted a large rib cage, a polyp of slime leapt at him, sticking to his leather armor. He ripped the leathers from himself, but the slime whipped a tendril around his forearm, and he could feel his flesh begin to sizzle.
The group quickly lit whatever torches they could, dumped oil on the creature, and set it ablaze while Uriel tried scraping the gel from the druid’s arm.
After catching their breath, they returned north.
Tomb robbers
Checking through a variety of rooms an arguing crew of eight tomb robbers are discovered. The group parlays and are told that they group recently engaged in a melee with necromancers to the east, and that their fallen were raised by foul magics.
Lothomir asked that the group promise to leave the tomb, fearing that they may be looking to jump our adventurers. They agreed to this, but asked to be left to mourn their companions before departing.
Plunder
The party continued navigating through tombs, finding a variety of small trinkets, a bit of platinum and the like. The came across a hallway with a number of tiny stone cells – Barkface used his Detect Danger spell to plumb most of them before investigating, finding a lack of danger.
Most of these cells were empty, but one was filled with the rotting corpse of a magic-user, along with her spell book. The group snatched her bag, but fell victim to the miasma and proceeded to vomit.
They found chalk warnings on a door and the floor, one warning to “Do Not Go This Way” pointing the direction they were headed. Dismissing it as a bluff to ward off treasure hunters, they also saw “Mind Your Eyes” written on the floor.
One of the rooms was ajar, and Barkface heard a litany of hissing beyond. The group postulated that it may be a medusa, and that they should just pass the door without disturbing it.
Levers-a-go-go
Turning south, they found an series of alcoves in a room with two locked steel doors and a contraption of three levers on the wall. Searching through the alcoves they picked up a few trinkets, and decided to start fiddling with the levers.
After a bit of trial and error, they discovered the means to open the west doorway. Lothomir heard arguing down the hallway, two beings who were worried about being trapped. He called to them and asked that they show themselves.
Two ghouls stumbled out of the dark, one holding a dripping, bloodied thigh. The ghouls asked if the party were here to help, and asked if they could leave. The group decided this was a better alternative to combat, and the ghouls told them a few details about the room – that the door would lock in a few minutes. The monsters also asked if the group could get their treasures, in a room down the hall.
They agreed, and told the ghouls to stay under the watchful eyes of Uriel and Sky, making sure to spike the door open so that it could not shut.
The rest of the party investigated a few rooms in that hallway, finding a stuck door that had frescos behind it of dark rituals, and they destroyed a locked door that hid the corpse of a cobwebbed-tied halfling corpse, next to an impressive blade.
The party sent Arnd in to snatch the blade, and two giant spiders immediately descended. Despite the threat of poison, the group slew one of the spiders and severely injured the other, which scuttled away from them and escaped further into the maze.
Grabbing the blade and coin purse, they sought out the room the ghouls were staying in, discovering the decapitated corpse of a knight missing his leg, bags of treasure, and runic tablets.
Lothomir cast Read Magic upon the tablets and was able to discern their effect without releasing their magics – one gave luck, and one stole it. They returned to the ghouls and quietly debated slaying the creatures, but decided to let them go. The ghouls were impressed, having expected a fight, so they rewarded the party with their coin.
Thinking they had spent enough time in the dark of the tomb, the party return to town without harassment.
Closing thoughts
It was a fun session, but both the party and myself agreed that Barrowmaze was a bit of a grind for the amount of xp they received. They had found quite a large amount of magic items, but 5 sessions in and our Bard is only halfway to level 2. Some people may enjoy this pace but I think for a drop-in open table game its a bit slow.
Next session I’ll experiment with using Jeff Rient’s Carousing Rules, and am debating using an xp-for-discoveries system.
Thanks for reading!