Session 1 Recap -- Enter the Barrowmaze

Session 1 was played 15 Dec 2022

Today's party:

Shelby the halfling 1 (Kip)
Cromann the dwarf 1 (Mark)
Redshirt the elf 1 (Marcel)
Blueshirt the dwarf 1 (Josh)
-Jonovan the torchbearer
-Hymen the Man-at-arms 

-Lowman the man-at-arms

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The PCs arrived in the town of Savoy, having been hired remotely by a mysterious benefactor named Sir Holden Ramekin. 

The picturesque mountain town was buzzing with adventurers when they arrived. En route, the party had heard that a vast crypt complex called the Barrowmaze had been discovered beneath the old barrowmoor, and adventurers have already been pulling out impressive amounts of treasure. Attracted by the possibility of riches, the town is crawling with hard-drinking men from the South Coast known as "blacksashes" on account of the black sash they wear with which to wipe their filthy hands on. 

The PCs met their benefactor, a white-headed retired knight named Sir Ramekin. He pours them some booze and tells them why he is funding the expedition: he misses his adventuring days and wants to experience the thrill of the Barrowmaze, by living vicariously through a young group of adventurers. All he asks in return for his support is that the PCs regale him with their tales of bravery in front of the fireplace. 

Ramekin is very friendly but tersely insists the PCs must find their own accommodation, so they do, across the town square, at Hazel's Rooms. They go shopping, gear up, and head for the moors. A few blacksashes jeer at them on the way out. 

On the way, the party is taunted from atop a burial mound by three obvious bandits, who wish them well and "hope they're in such good shape on the way out." The party presses on. 

Inside of barrow mound 12, the PCs locate the only known entrance to the Barrowmaze, lowering themselves through the hole by the rope fixed there. While exploring their first room, a wall dropped from the ceiling, separating Shelby and Cromann from the rest of the party. Cromann is immediately wounded pretty badly with a rusty machete. The rest of the party scrambles to find a way to raise the wall, and they find the lever beneath a loose flagstone. The party rushes in and dispatches the skeletons. 

Searching the crypts, the party dispatches a giant spider and finds a small bit of treasure, before knocking down a bricked up door and getting chased out by shadow creatures they couldn't seem to harm.

Things took a dark turn when the party opened another crypt without so much as listening at the door, and Blueshirt was torn apart by zombies. Mortally wounded, he retreated to the corner and drank Ramekin's potion, saving his life. The battle ensued in comical manner, with Redshirt shooting into the melee and seriously wounding Shelby. Eventually the zombies were defeated and a small necklace was recovered. The men-at-arms were the most effective combatants.

With two seriously wounded members, the party evacuated and was back in Savoy by 2pm.

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Gains: ~150 cp, a weird magical tablet

Kills: 4 skeletons, 4 zombies, 1 large spider

Losses: Blueshirt remains mortally wounded and may not recover if the party can't afford magical healing. It may take him a few days to die, so they can perhaps make some money in that time.