"Caledan, Mari, come look at this," Tyveris said then. He was examining a large barrow not far from the one they had just excavated. It was a low, circular mound, its doorway filled with dark stones. "This one looks a little different than any of the others we've investigated so far."
Morhion walked around the barrow, examining it critically. "It is different, loremaster. That could mean it is older, dating closer to the time Talembar fell. Or…"
"Or what?" Caledan asked.
"Or it may mean that this tomb was built for a different sort of occupant."
"Like a king, you mean?" Ferret asked, his beady eyes lighting up. "And kings are usually buried with treasure, am I right?"
"I suppose there's only one way to find out," Caledan said.
They set to clearing away the stones from the barrow's low, circular entrance. Within minutes they found that the entrance to the barrow had been sealed up with daub and wattle. Strange symbols had been drawn in the mud of the seal, but centuries of dampness had worn them down so that they could barely be seen, let alone read.
"Allow me," Tyveris said. The big loremaster stood before the barrow's entrance. He closed his eyes and spoke a soft, rumbling prayer. "Just apologizing in advance," he explained when he finished.
"Apologizing for what?" Man asked.
"This." In one swift motion, Tyveris gathered up his brown robe around his knees and landed a powerful kick on the daub and wattle seal. The dried mud shattered. There was a faint hiss, and a puff of foul-smelling air issued from the entrance.
"I don't think I want to be the one to crawl in and see who's buried in there," Tyveris said, grimacing as he held his nose.
"I'll go," Ferret said eagerly, bounding toward the barrow's entrance. Abruptly he stopped short.
A spray of dirt and stone burst outward from the barrow's entrance, showering the companions. Mari watched in horror as something began clawing its way out of the tomb. Its fiery red arms were massive and gnarled. It scrabbled at the dirt with yellowed talons as long as daggers. Its face was that of a beast, its ears large and pointed, its snout strangely flattened. Its fangs were long and sharp, and it had two hot eyes as crimson as fresh blood.
"Ready yourself, Tyveris!" Morhion called out loudly. "We've got to force it back into the barrow. Once it is free, we will not be able to defeat it." The beast continued to inch its way out of the tomb's narrow entrance. It let out a piercing scream.
"Can you call on the strength of your god or not, lore-master?"
Tyveris nodded.
'Then do so," the mage snapped. "Use your prayers to drive the creature back into the barrow. I will attempt to seal the entrance again."
Caledan drew his sword to defend the loremaster and mage should their spells fail, but he knew his blade would be futile against this horrible beast.
Tyveris began to chant a fervent, rapid prayer to Oghma. The mage wore a look of concentration on his face as he struggled to recall the words of some arcane spell.
"El atha cul Oghma, elfaltira kempar min Oghma yarl" Tyveris shouted, gripping a bronze holy symbol that hung about his neck, his deep voice booming like thunder. Caledan didn't see anything happen-no crackle of magic or burst of fire-but suddenly the creature screamed as if it had been struck a dire blow. The light in its fiery eyes flickered. The creature snarled and writhed in agony, then retreated back inside the barrow.
At the same time, the mage released his spell. A shimmering blue nimbus appeared where the mud seal had been. "Quickly, help me replace the stones," the mage said, and the others rapidly piled the dark stones back, sealing the entrance tightly.
When the last stone was in place, the mage sank to the ground, breathing hard. Tyveris slumped nearby, his head in his hands.
"Are you all right?" Estah asked them concernedly.
"I am weary, that is all," Morhion said, and Tyveris nodded in agreement.
"It's been a while since I asked my god for that much power," the big loremaster said with a wan grin.
"What was that thing?" Caledan asked the mage.
Morhion shook his head. "I cannot truly say. Some beast of magic created by sorcerers long ago, I would imagine. Mages often took part in the battles fought here in the Fields, sending creatures of dark magic to ravage an enemy's army. This was one such creature, I would guess, bound and buried by a victorious mage."
But not dead," Caledan said.
"No. It is a thing of magic," Morhion said, his breathing still rapid. "It will never die."
"Then we had better leave a marker here, so no one makes the same mistake we did," Caledan said. He paused then, as if he was struggling with something. "Thanks, mage," he said gruffly after a moment of silence, then he turned to mount Mista. "Let's put some distance between us and this barrow."
They rode to the north edge of the valley, then broke for a meal at midday, The distant sound of thunder echoed over the valley. The wind rattled through the tall grass, and the clouds looked as heavy and dark as lead.
Tyveris looked forlornly at the rather pitiful array of foodstuffs Estah had pulled from the saddlebags. There was a little dried fruit left, a few bits of cheese, and barely enough stale bread for each of them to have a piece.
"I really hate to ask this question," the big monk said, "but what exactly are the rest of you going to eat?"
“Tyveris!" Estah said chidingly.
"It was a joke, Estah," the loremaster protested lamely.
"I'm not laughing," the halfling healer said, her eyes flashing fire. She watched carefully over the food to make certain each of them got a fair share.
"What do you have there, thief?" Morhion asked as they were readying themselves to set out again after lunch. Ferret was performing tricks with a dull, tarnished coin, sending it dancing over his knuckles and leaping into the air.
"It's just some old coin," Ferret said, flipping it deftly toward the mage. "I found it on the ground when I was scouting maybe a half-league back."
Morhion snatched it precisely out of the air. He studied the coin intently, turning it over in his hand. "You may wish to see this," he said to Caledan and Mari.
"What is it?" Mari asked.
"I'm no expert, but it just looks like some old copper coin to me," Caledan said with a shrug. "And a badly stamped one at that."
"That is true," Morhion said, holding up the crudely made coin. Its edges were rough and uneven and seemed to be thicker on one edge than the other. "I cannot even say what the symbol it is embossed with is intended to represent, but there are words beneath it. I can still make them out. They read, Altaro'eb'Telkadra."
"What does it mean?" asked Mari.
"It is written in the tongue called Talfir," Morhion said, his blue eyes glittering. "It means, The Year of the Lion.'"
"The Year of the Lion,'" Mari repeated, then her eyes widened in realization. 'That was the year Talek Talembar was slain."
Caledan took the antique coin from the mage. "Ferret, I think you'd better show us where you found this."
"Sure," Ferret said. "But I'll tell you one thing. If the barrow I found it by was Talembar's, he didn't have many friends when he died. It's not much to speak of."
The thief was not exaggerating. The barrow he led them to was little more than an irregular heap of dirt about six paces across and knee high at its center. "I found the coin sticking out of the dirt near the base of the mound," Ferret explained. "The barrow looks fairly eroded. I suppose the coin was washed out."