The Hidden Tomb

Type: Cushion
Hook: Underground

Overview

Event 1: The heroes fight some goblins in a cave. They find a map on the goblins leading to a tomb.
Event 2: Some dwarves bargain with the heroes, offering a ride across the underground lake.
Event 3: The heroes fight the undead guardian of the tomb, and various traps, before getting the treasure.

Event 1: Goblin Fodder

As you make your way through the underground caverns, you see light up ahead, coming from what looks like a campfire. You emerge into a cavern, to see a small encampment in the far-left area of the cave, lit by a sizeable fire. A brazier burns near the camp, giving off choking fumes. Leading up from the little tent is a ramp, leading to a ledge above you on the left. On the ledge, a Goblin prances, chittering to its mates at your arrival. Across the room, four other Goblins prepare themselves for combat.

Terrain: Weird Magic

Slimbog chants and bangs his bones on the floor, which has an invigorating effect on all the goblins. The net effect of this is that the goblins have +3 to all their DAM rolls.

Points Spent: +30

Terrain: Weird Magic

A brazier next to the bonfire leaks out acrid smoke that gets into the lungs of the Vikings, causing -1 to their ATK rolls.

Points Spent: +10

Terrain: Multiple Levels

There is a sloped area along one wall of the cavern that leads up to a small platform about 20 paces toward the roof.

Points Gained: -5

Terrain: Damaging Place

The goblins have built a sizeable bonfire next to their little encampment. Anyone entering this hot area is likely to be severely burnt. DAM Rating: 20

Points Gained: -20

Terrain: Cover

The little tent the goblins set up for their leader (Rak-Nathar the Slayer) can provide half cover for two people.

Points Gained: -12

Digging around amongst the Goblins' remains, you discover a few trinkets, and a rolled-up parchment.

Treasure

The Shaman has on his belt a Category C treasure.

Points Gained: -30

Also amongst the goblins' stuff is a rolled up parchment. When unrolled, they may try to decipher the glyphs and runes on the scroll.

Stick & Carrot

This is a No-Fault roll of Runes, Difficulty 6. Failure leads to a +2 Difficulty on their next Map roll, while success leads to -2 Difficulty on the Map roll.

Points Spent: -15 (No-Fault roll)

Healing Opportunity

This little cavern of the goblins' is actually a rather nice place to wait to heal up before continuing. However, after 24 hours, the goblins' comrades come looking for their missing fellows, and the Vikings must hurry on.

Points Gained: -20

Event 2: Finding the Tomb

Getting Lost

Now all you have to do is figure out exactly what the scroll is trying to tell you. It seems to be a rather arcane set of direction, which might take some working out...

The pillagers now have to try and track down the tomb mentioned in the scroll. They need to make a Singular roll by one of the pillagers. If he fails, the whole horde is Lost, and must follow the 'Getting Lost' rules on p. 152 of the main rulebook. The difficulty of the roll is 7.

Points Spent: 10 (7 Difficulty); 30 (getting lost possibility)

Bargaining Opportunity

As you get near to the tomb mentioned on the scroll, your path is blocked by a rather wide underground lake. Preparing yourselves to trek around the lake, you spot a boat moored on the shore, and three dwarves pottering around the area. They seem to have a quantity of armour with them, and look like they might be traders of some kind...

The pillagers come upon the shore of an underground lake. 'Docked' on the shore are three dwarves, with a rowboat. These guys are travelling salesdwarves. They have all types of armour for sale, at the standard costs. They will also buy any treasures from the Vikings as per normal. The dwarves are young and unaware of the threat Vikings pose to them, and they are inexperienced traders, so their Bargain bonus is only 1.

Points Gained: -15 (bargaining opportunity); -10 (Bargaining Bonus of 1)

Crossing the Lake

Once you have bought all you require, you ask the dwarves if they wouldn't mind giving you a lift across the water. They hum and herr before sizing you up and down to see if you look friendly enough...

The dwarves will take the Vikings across the lake if they have made a favourable impression. They need to make a Demeanour roll to convince the dwarves that they mean well. Otherwise, the pillagers will have to hike around the lake. Any pillager that fails the roll will have to take the dangerous route around the lake. Those that succeed will be able to use the dwarves' boat.

Trap Difficulty: 6
Damage: 10 (Armour Ignoring)

Points Spent: 20 (10 Armour Ignoring damage)

The trek round the shore goes through a patch of sharp, needle-like rocks, and after that, a swarm of horrible nits that get under your armour to bite and scratch.

Event 3: The Tomb

Finally the horde has reached the tomb; a large double-doorway stands invitingly sealed before them. It is almost completely indistinguishable from the rock around it, and only the map they carry has enabled them to find it. They push the doors open to see the burial chamber ahead of them.

The chamber is oblong, about ten paces wide, and thirty paces long. Ten pillars stretch down each side of the chamber, and alcoves are regularly spaced in the walls. A large sarcophagus sits at the far end of the room, flanked by two blazing green flames guttering out of metal torch-stands either side of it.

Points Spent: 25 (Self-Willed)

Ambush Opportunity

Lying in wait for the pillagers is the spirit of the dead chieftain, inhabiting his old corpse-like body in the sarcophagus. The difficulty of spotting this ambush before opening the lid is 8.

Points Spent: 50 (Ambush Opportunity); 20 (difficulty 8)

Trap: Grasping Hands

When the sarcophagus lid is raised, rotting hands claw up from the ground, and grab the feet and legs of all the pillagers.

If a hero reads the runes on the sarcophagus, and speaks the magical phrase there (makes a Rune roll of 6 or more), the trap is voided.

Pillagers must make a STR + Traps roll of 6 or higher to pull free.

Points Spent: 40 (Grabber Trap)

Trap: The Burning Coward

If anyone breaks away (or attempts to) during the course of the combat, or tries to escape, the green flame from the torches arcs down and attempts to engulf the coward.

The target must make a difficulty 7 Dodge roll to avoid the flame, or suffer 10 points of escalating damage until they re-engage the foe, or leave the tomb. The flames then die out.

Points Spent: 10 (Difficulty 7); 40 (Escalating Damage of 10); -10 (conditionally avoidable; don't disengage or run away)

Trap: The Terrible Cry

Once Pilar has been polished off, his soul gives rent to a shuddering death cry. This terrifying bellow rattles throughout the tomb, causing everyone to make a Bravery roll, Difficulty 8, or run from the tomb like a cowardly goblin, returning when they remember that they aren't small cowardly goblins but big (wo)manly vikings. Forgetting this fact loses the hero 20 Victory Points in loss of status.

Points Spent: 20 (Difficulty 8); 20 (Loss of 20 Victory Points)

Terrain: Barrier

The Sarcophagus itself is a barrier in combat that can interfere with the fight.

Points Gained: -3

Weird Magic: Inspiration

The magical torches burning in the crypt grant a bonus of +3 to all ATK rolls made here. The spirit of this great chieftain is inspiring all combatants to greater combat prowess.

Points Gained: -30

After the fight, you take the opportunity to rest for a moment before searching the tomb. There seems to be the glint of treasure from amongst the rags adorning the undead creature you just killed. The body looks mighty undignified sprawled on the ground like that. The tomb is giving off a strangely invigorating magic that you realise signifies that this is, in fact, a shrine to Thor. The walls seem to show various glyphs and runes depicting some kind of story. The alcoves around the edges could probably bear searching, as well.

Pilar's Plight

Reading the runes scattered throughout the tomb requires a Rune roll by any Viking. This tells the story of Pilar, who bravely fought off a Troll incursion many hundreds of years ago, when that race was still young. Brought down by the treacherous poisonous arrows of the trolls, he nevertheless defended his realm to his dying breath. He is a devotee of Thor, and emulated the War God to the best of his ability - even in death.

Points Gained: -10 (Freestanding Ability roll)

Shrine to Thor

Pilar the Tall was a devotee of the God Thor, and this entire tomb is a shrine to the war god.

Points Gained: -25

Treasure

The corpse of the chieftain has on its person a Category F treasure. The various alcoves in the chamber also generate a Category D treasure.

Points Gained: -75 (Category F Treasure); -40 (Category D Treasure)

Regaining Status

If one of the players make a successful Lore roll, they realise that Pilar should be most honourably placed back into his sarcophagus. The Viking who carries out this service gains 25 Victory Points.

Points Gained: -25 (Gaining 25 Victory Points)