WH1.1 – The Song Beneath the Barrow

Read Aloud /Intro

Yanik Tassum approaches the party at the Shrine of the Vale, troubled.

“The wind has begun to sing again… and something in the barrow answers it. Nalla took a clay vessel from the old mound — said it looked valuable. Since then, the humming has not stopped.”

Nalla Greyfen admits she removed a small spiral-carved clay urn from the barrow and hid it in her quarters at The Red Clay Pot.

Yanik asks the party to return it and “make peace with the old bones before they wake fully.”

Encounter

The barrow lies one mile north along Barrow Road.
Inside:

• Entry tunnel (20 ft)
  • Based on Yannik’s directions, you are able to go off the trail and after some searching, find an opening beneath several rolling, rocky hills. It is a narrow opening, about 8′ wide and upon closer inspection, you can see some old blocks of stone peeking through the clumps of dirt and grasses, this was no cave. From the opening you sense a low, vibrating hum – a cadence of sorts if only a whisper.
• Broken offering alcove
  • The tunnel is black polished stone but most of the blocks are dulled with age and nature which gives any torch or lantern-light an odd sparkle, almost like the walls are made of smoked glass looking into a starry sky. The tunnel gradually descends a few feet and the noise becomes louder though it has no apparent source, whispering chanting voices on the wind. The end of the tunnel opens into a circular chamber about 20′ across.
• Central chamber with upright stone-petrified figures (“Stone Choir”)
  • In the center of the circular chamber, there are faded scenes, unrecognizeable now, and a central circulat step/altar.
  • The walls have a few statues that appear carved into the rock with serene almost stern looking bearing ceremonial swords
  • The chanting is not in a language that can be identified by natural or magical methods

If the urn is returned before disturbing anything else, the chamber hum quiets and a statue breaks free from the wall and respectfully places the urn in a specific place and nods before returning to the wall.

If not, the changing becomes harsher and several of the statues break free from the wall revealing they are skeletons and zombie guarding the place.

Name	CR/XP	AC	HP	MV	Attack
Skeleton	1/4 (50 XP)	13	13	30 ft	Shortsword (4 to Hit) (1d6+2)
Zombie	1/4 (50 XP)	13	22	30 ft	Slam (+3 to Hit) (1d6+1)

Treasure

Hidden niche:

• 25 gp ancient Flan silver
• Potion of Healing
• Spiral clay charm (non-magical but culturally valuable)

Reward

Yanik grants:

• Free Cure Wounds (once in future)
• Favor with Shrine of the Vale

Leads to:
WH1.4 – The Wolves of Redvale