XII - Hidden in Darkness
Dawn brought with it a wash of heat from the cloudy sky, a thin haze settling over Helix, drawing complaints from the wagon drivers gathering shipments for passage north, and from the merchants setting up their booths in the village square. The warmth seems to have subdued the settlement’s residents, each pursuing their morning tasks with little talk.
At the hall of the Mercenary Guild, Guildmaster Osen introduces the adventurers to four hirelings who have agreed to enter their service and stand guard at the camp in the Barrowmoor. Jiedrol Karsk is an auburn haired human female, skilled in the use of the halberd and other pole arms. She has worked extensively as a guard for the trade caravans traveling the Moon Peaks, carrying goods to and from the dwarven settlement there. Stralber Remmund is a bald human man with dark beard and a grim scar that runs from his forehead, across his nose, and down to his throat. He is a former soldier and recent veteran of fights with bandits and froglings.
Trisrel Yante, a fair haired elven female, is the quietest of the hirelings, though she respectfully answers every question posed to her. She is a skilled archer and, according to Osen, an expert at spotting and setting ambushes. Labin Cinderbrand, a young halfling man, is an able swordsman who is eager for adventure, even that which takes him into forbidding locales.
They are joined by a pair of men at arms who hail from Ironguard Motte, who journeyed overnight to reach Helix in response to Sir Dryvyk’s request for aid. Ocai Hanezen is an iron haired veteran of the northern wars who has, over the past decade, dedicated his sword to the service of St. Ygg. Nohvi Cein, by contrast, is a young man with blonde hair which is almost entirely white. In the wake of serving with militia in the hamlet he hails from, defending it from a bloody raid by lycanthropes, he dedicated himself to the church’s cause, in hopes of keeping other innocents safe.
It is Valeron, the village fletcher, who leads the expedition out onto the marsh that morning, though his job is a simple one as the adventurers know much of the way and have become accustomed to the inhospitable terrain’s hazards. The journey seems to pass quickly, the gathering halting only once when a series of deep croaks, unmistakably the calls of froglings, echo across the moor. The party never catches sight of any of the amphibious creatures, however.
It is still early in the day when the entrance to the Barrowmaze comes into view. A short distance away, the adventurers can see the opening into the tomb of the followers of Set, which appears much the same as when they first entered it, the corridor which leads to the stairs beyond veiled in shadow.
The area in front of the entrance chamber to the Barrowmaze has changed, however. A cart, constructed of moisture darkened wood, sits to the right of the portal into the catacombs, a long iron rod staked into the soil beside it, a lantern hanging from the rod. For the moment, the adventurers see no movement in the vicinity of the Barrowmaze, nor do they hear any sounds of activity.