Darmek and I lined up for the barrowmaze. Some of our friends joined us for a group of about 8 people. The day was cursed, however. We were ambushed by six giant frogs before we even reached the barrows. We ran from them; three followed. We ran from those, and this time, only one followed. We did manage to kill that one frog before he killed any of us, but it was a close thing. We were so exhausted by that point that we just turned around and headed back to Helix to turn in for the day, with nothing to show for it.
The next day we actually made it to the barrows and collected the possessions from one of our fallen companions. We then picked a barrow to open; we were about halfway through removing the slab blocking the entrance when we were attacked by several giant scorpions. Again we fled, and again they followed us. This time, Darmek fell, as did Uthlynk. We escaped after that, disheartened but still determined… and still empty-handed.
Choosing a new barrow, we managed to open the door and slip inside. It had a single central sarcophagus, larger and fancier than the others we had seen. We set to work breaking the lid with pickaxes. And halfway through, our guards heard voices outside. We hid our group inside the barrow and waited for them to pass before continuing to explore. This sarcophagus contained a wooden casket inside, carved with a feminine looking form, which we then opened. The skeleton within remained at rest as we claimed its perfume. One of our companions thought would fetch good money in the right market – which was definitely not Helix. We could hardly travel to Threshold to sell perfume, though.
We were interrupted again, searching under the casket. I wanted to stay, to finish what we had started, but the party voted to return to town. One of us, braver than the rest, stayed behind on his own and finished the search. He refused to say if he found anything when he caught up to us later.
The perfume did sell in Helix, fetching 5 gold per bottle over four bottles. It’s more money that I’ve ever held before, but is it worth Darmek’s life? I’m beginning to think the profession of adventurer may not be a wise choice.
