One-session playthrough of The Bruja, the Beast and the Barrow by Gus L (expanded with some extra rooms by yours truly).

Five strangers find themselves bound by a common affliction; midnight rot, a magical malady that condemns the afflicted to a slow and gruesome death. Exhausting all hopes of finding a cure through conventional means, they hear rumours that the reclusive sorcerer Marble Eye could heal even the most resistant of diseases . . . for a price.

Accordingly, the five dying adventurers (Colin the assassin, Harmon the barbarian, Tommy the ranger, Robyn the cleric, and Stud the druid) made their way to the ruined barrow of Pickbone Mound (accompanied, as instructed, by two hogs). There, they encountered ‘Marble Eye’, a strange and exotic figure wearing the robes of a foreign court and eyes of painted stone. Marble Eye agreed to heal the adventurers’ rotting bodies in exchange for a favour. He claimed that a great evil (‘the beast’) dwelt beneath the mound and that the only thing standing between the creature and civilisation were Marble Eye’s failing wards. Only blood could refresh the dying magic and so the party were tasked with taking one of the pigs to the room where ‘the beast’ was bound and sacrificing the hog in order to renew the magical bindings. As an aside, the sorcerer offered a bonus of 2,000 gp if they were able to bring him the head of the demon beneath but insisted that accomplishing such a feat would be highly dangerous. Pressed for further information, Marble Eye offered only the laconic advice: ‘Don’t believe his lies’.

The party descended into Pickbone Mound, accessed by means of another pig-sacrifice. The dextrous Stud managed to recover a backpack from a chamber infested with protruding crystals which resonated with brain-melting chimes, finding a strange flask within. The party encountered further dangers, most concerningly four skeletons concealed beneath red, brackish water. The battle with the undead went poorly with Stud, Tommy and Harmon all falling in battle. As Robyn and Colin fled, the skeletons returned to their fetid pool, seemingly uninterested in pursuit. Robyn and Colin were soon joined by three new allies: Sir Avon the Ancient, Sister Abigail of the Hawksisters, and Domitian the Dread (also accompanied by a hog – apparently Marble Eye had decided to hedge his bets).

Returning to the room with the skeletons, Robyn threw a vial of holy water into the fetid water where they lay, instantly cleansing whatever foul sorcery had animated them. Peering into the now clear water, the party discovered a gleaming bronze hoplite helm nestled amongst the now sleeping skeletons.

Further progress was barred by animated statues of tattooed stone warriors with eyes of opal. The used their extra pig to test the danger posed by the endocarpic warriors, which resulted in the swift and bloody demise of Hog #2. Taking discretion to be the better part of valour, Sir Avon used a lantern and mirror to blind the stone guardians and allowed the party to access the final chamber, wherein lay ‘the beast’.

The ‘beast’, it turned out, was Rolling Calf, an undead bull-assassin of the mysterious Warlock-King. The captive assassin explained that Marble Eye (real name Alonso) was a fugitive from the Bull Kingdom’s court and that Rolling Calf had been trapped in the mound by the wily Alonso.

Rolling Calf presented a threatening presence, 7ft of half-rotting muscle topped with a bovine skull. While Rolling Calf threatened the party with the undying enmity of the Warlock King, and tantalised them with the possibility of his liege’s favour, he could not guarantee them a cure from the disease that was ravaging them.

It was then that the party hatched a plan that would allow them to cure themselves, earn the sympathies of the Warlock King and get the 2,000 gp bonus promised by Marble Eye. First the party broke Rolling Calf’s wards. Then, using the helm of the headless hoplite (see below), they liberated the beast from his head without killing him. Presenting the head to Marble Eye, they received both the cure they sought as well as a lovely 2,000 gp. Rolling Calf was soon reunited with his head and swiftly exacted his revenge on Marble Eye before marching off into the sunset to return to his liege with news of his success.

Treasure uncovered:

12,000 gp worth of spoils were looted from Pickbone Mound (including the 2,000 gp bonus defrauded from Marble Eye, the crown of a mummified warlord, various gold ornaments, a magnificent ruby, and a secret cache of 4,000 gp hidden within Marble Eye’s squalid hut).

Magic items discovered:

Everwater flask: Flask filled with pure glacial water that never empties no matter how much is spilled or consumed.

Veritas mace: +1 mace inscribed with the words: ‘In truth, honour’. After Robyn’s deception of Marble Eye, the mace suddenly became slick and slippery to the point of unusability.

Blood spear: +1 spear that heals the wielder 1hp with each successful attack.

Biter: +1 spear that turns on its wielder on a natural roll of 1.

Helm of the Headless Hoplite: Allows the wearer’s head to float freely of its body for five turns. The body is highly vulnerable while decapitated.

Ramifications:

Rolling calf will now return to the Warlock King with news of his mission’s success and of the wily adventurers who helped him accomplish it. The party may have earned themselves a powerful (if sinister) ally.

The party have uncovered a great deal of treasure (enough to allow all five to reach level 2) though first they must convey it to a safe haven.