Barrowmaze, called “el barro” (“the mud”) by locals, is the field of barrows east of Helix, on the southern edge of the valley of Valakhan. In the present cycle it is a reserve of burial treasure outside institutional control.
| Type | Place |
| Location | East of Helix, Valakhan |
| Spanish entry | Barrowmaze — los túmulos del este de Helix |
Geography
Helix lies between the edge of the barrows and the north of the neighboring forest, built centuries ago on the ruins of a much older settlement. The name joins “barrow” (burial mound) and “maze”.
- Local saying holds that treasure is hidden in the mounds.
- The field extends east for an undetermined distance.
- It is labyrinthine: whoever enters without a guide cannot easily get out.
Role in the present cycle
Neither Vicar Otar’s church nor the Priscians, with their arcane monopoly, have jurisdiction there; it is a free zone by default.
- The Seekers, stripped in the octagonal chamber of the Mega-Dungeon, headed for Helix planning to “work the barrows” and recover arcana outside the Priscian monopoly.
- The group of the sanctuary of Helix, imprisoned by the Abbot’s inquisition, had earlier been sent there to recover the Tablet of Chaos; the mission remained open.
- The demon Quasi offered, as part of a pact, to guide the tempted twin guard to “the mud”, where ten thousand coins are said to be hidden.
The hordes
On the day of the broken altar, skeletal hordes summoned or freed by the Knight of Darkness advanced on Helix along the field’s outer routes. They did not enter the consecrated precinct of the church but besieged its surroundings all day. The field is now a likely source of residual hordes and actively hostile. Remains of the Sapphire Company lie on the outer routes.
Open questions
- Whether the barrows belonged to the older settlement or predate it independently is not established.
- Whether the hordes emerged from within the field, were summoned in advance in a specific barrow, or rose after the knight’s morning pact is not known.