Our group went out to the barrowmaze. Two of my friends, Sidney and Khezzean, stayed to dig; Xanrion the haberdasher and I went to take a closer look at a tomb where others had found a pair of nice vases. That tomb contained a wicker frame surrounding a decaying body. One of the others, actually with a sword and armor, cut off its head. I expected it to rise up and kill us, but the body remained dead. We found nothing of any value, though.
The next tomb we tried had a lectern with an arcane book on it; I could tell from the way the script shifted and changed on the cover. I was immediately interested and sent Xanrion to fetch it for me, since I was keeping watch outside. He touched it and promptly disappeared, as did another member of the group. Clearly the book was some sort of portal leading to an arcane realm; I was more interested rather than less, and swapped guard duty with someone else to take a closer look.
However, there was noise from outside: a group of eight ruffians in poorly maintained armor, carrying clubs. They exchanged threats with our guards, then blows. I caught a glimpse of one of my friends, covered in blood on the floor, one of the bandits down next to her. I started my sling whirling with one hand, waiting for the right moment, and slapped my free hand down on the book just before the stone hit…
