Barrowmaze #7: Curiosity (Almost) Killed the Gnome

This may be obvious but these AARs contain spoilers for those wanting to go into the Barrowmaze.  The message is that if you're going to, don't take advantage of them.  They're called spoilers because they spoil the fun.  DON'T BE A DICK!

We met up last Sunday with the latest draft of the OSE Basic Rules to try out.and managed to fit in two delves into the Barrowmaze. 

Barrowmaze – 19 May 2019: First Delve

John	Dungon Master
Player	Character	Class	Notes
Tom	Gwanton	Cleric of St Ygg (Level 1)	Character’s first delve
Maddy	Celian	Thief (Level 1)	Player and Character’s first delve
Tim	Ambrose	Dwarf (Level 1)
Lizzie	Gretchen	Ranger (Level 1)	Character’s first delve
Edwin	Decimus Stonehythe	Gnome (Level 1)	Has pet badger – Dachs
Steve	Moonwhisper	Magic User (Level 3)
Alec	Baxton von Dangerfield	“Master Wizard” (Level 1)	Player and Character’s first delve
Sam	Le Charles	Cleric of St Ygg (Level 1)	Character’s first delve

Pre-Delve

In the time since the last delve, new adventurers had arrived in Helix.  Despite the attractions of a group known as the Halflings’ Adventurers Guild, several these adventurers responded to the posters we’d put around town and presented themselves at Galmar’s House.  In addition, Brother Othar had pointed two newly-arrived novice Clerics in our direction.

Given that we had these two Clerics with us, the Plan was to return to the room to the West of the Octagonal Room from which we had been driven back by large numbers of animated skeletons in the previous year [game played 24 March 2019].

How we left it last time

The Delve

The journey to the Barrowmoor was uneventful, but took five hours.

We proceeded to the 'Back Door' (instructing the new party members on how to find the mound and open the secret passage).  Ambrose was fascinated by the sarcophagus and attempted to find pieces for his jawbone collection.

Fossil Skeletons

As is now familiar, once we reached the ‘Crossroads of Death’ we were attacked.  This time it was a fossil skeleton.  Being prepared for such an event, it was soon dispatched, but while we were doing this, we were surprised by a Barrow Guardian.  Ambrose decided that the remains of the skeleton would make a good weapon, and threw it at the Guardian: others relied on more traditional ranged weapons, with four good hits before it fell.

Barrow Guardian

Moving into the corridor leading to the Octagonal Room, Ambrose and Gwanton engaged in a theological discussion, during which their on-going suspicion that Moonwhisper may be a Necromancer came to the fore.  Gwanton started a list of potential heresies within the party (including those he himself held).

Despite warnings by experienced members of the party that this was dangerous territory, Gwanton could not contain his curiosity.   As he passed the middle door on the west of the corridor, he opened it, revealing a group of five skeletons standing over the butchered remains of another party of adventurers.  Given that he was at the tail-end of the marching order, this proved to be a surprise to the rest of the party.  The skeletons immediately attacked, dragging Gwanton into the room and severely wounding Decimus, leaving him unconscious and bleeding-out (with Dachs, taking up position to protect his body).

Decimus communes with his deity

Le Charles managed to grab Gwanton (who was still holding the door handle), and a somewhat farcical tug-of-war ensued in order to shut the door while Gretchen straddled Decimus’ body and fired into the room.  Gwanton was also severely injured during this struggle.  Ambrose quickly fished a length of rope out of his kit and rolled under Gwanton’s body to attach it to the handle.  The door was pulled shut and the rope lashed to the handle opposite.

Gretchen stabilised Decimus’s wounds, and it was decided that the best thing was to get him and Gwanton back to Helix as soon as possible.  Fortunately, the retreat from the Barrowmaze and the journey through the Wilderness were uneventful.

Post-Delve

There was no loot to be cashed in. 

Decimus and Gwanton spent five days recuperating.  Gwanton undertook a period of penance to attempt to atone for his foolishness.

Score: 376

XP: 42

Encounters

Location	Nature	Casualties	Notes
Crossroads of Death	Fossil Skeleton		Defeated
Crossroads of Death	Barrow Guardian	Le Charles injured.	Defeated
Room off corridor to Octagonal Room	Skeletons (x5)	Decimus down and dying.   Gwanton severely injured.	Left locked in the room

Treasure

	Where and how acquired	Value	Notes
None!