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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 310775" data-attributes="member: 114">Winding deeper and deeper the circular dirt tunnels seem to coil more and more tightly back and forth, indicating that they are nearing the centre of the barrow. A deep pit is easily crossed thanks to Anne-Marie’s stupendous leaping ability. A couple more wights are summarily destroyed by Trajan, although K’tan can no longer continue making him invisible.Finally there is a long, steep, coiling path that leads them downwards for several minutes - and opens into a chamber containing a large sarcophagus, and many dark niches around the walls. As they cautiously enter, an apparition arises from the sarcophagus.“Why do you disturb Saithnar’s rest?” it demands in a commanding voice.“Sire”, answers Trajan, “We mean no disrespect, but we are on a quest for a terrified village”“Good.” Rumbles Saithnar. “Men of honour should defend the helpless. It has always been thus”.Trajan presses on with his line of questioning. “The villagers are under siege by elvish archers, aided by a fearsome ghostly horseman… some thought the horseman might be based at your barrow…”“It is a fool who misjudges the nobility of elves” Saithnar replies. “Although rarely seen by the end of the days of my life, they have always been upright and true, defenders of the just and opposers of that which is evil. I know of no horseman”.Bowing, Trajan says “We mean no offence, and fear we have been misdirected here. With your leave we will depart and seek to unravel this mystery further”.As they start to back out of the room the ghostly figure bids them to hold for a moment.“While serving the forces of good in this land you may borrow some of my treasures which supported me in my tasks here. Open the lid and take my rapier and my circlet, for they will aid you”.As the apparition watches they remove the lid, Anne-Marie takes the frost-rimed rapier and Trajan picks up the circlet, and feels his confidence and authority grow as he places it across his brow.“We vow to return these treasures to you when our quest is done” they say in turn. Is that a smile that crosses the face of Saithnar?“One of my wives will show you out” he says, and a wight dressed in rags that might have once been a fine dress shuffles forward, and motions for them to follow.After a further half-hour of twisting passages, a secret door is opened into the barrows first chamber. While the wife of Saithnar retreats back into the barrow tunnels, the adventurers step bleary -eyed and exhausted out into the twilight, and prepare a camp fire for the night.Then they hear someone singing to the sound of a Lute…to be continued.</blockquote>

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