June 26 – 29, 1989

Fortunately, within the next day or so, Qan and I-na’Queh both arrived, and upon hearing of the attack, I-na’Queh healed Melrose, and also learned Melrose’s secret, yet promised to keep it safe.

Following a few days of rest and recuperation, the party, minus Sarmad, who had contracted a disease (hepatitis) from his encounter with Gwen, set out to find Angelica, being led, so to speak, by the ring and scroll the old man had given Giulio, which exerted a subtle but firm pull on the boy in the direction the bandit had taken her.

Giulio, however, was not amused by the course things had taken; for not only could he not give the scroll and ring to anyone but Angelica, he couldn’t even let go of them. If he put them into his pack, the pack would not leave his body. Finally, he put them inside his tunic, where the pull led them to the Barrow mounds, a fell place that reeked of old magic. Noticing several areas where there were wards in place, the party made it around to the back of a pit, from where they could observe a small encampment. The area was reconnoitered, and the way in located. The only problems were that the only ways in were straight down over the edge of the pit, or else in between the watchtowers, or through a guarded entrance into one of the mounds.