Helix is a frontier village on the edge of a swamp, south of the Valakhan valley, and the last post before the barrows of the Barrowmaze. It is the hinge of the Abbot’s northern route: expeditions leave from it and return to it.
| Type | Place (village) |
| Population | No more than 600 in a normal season |
| Main building | Church of Amonar, with monastery |
| Distance | Six miles from Depau |
| Spanish entry | Helix — aldea de los túmulos del sur |
Description
Helix lies six miles from Depau along a wild, forgotten road. It is “a frontier town, there is no strong law”. Its defining building is the half-ruined main church, seat of the church of Amonar, with an attached monastery whose cells hold prisoners. Massas the Magnificent lives there.
On the swamp side lie ancient barrows with undead and the village’s own cemetery, source of a procession of animated dead. Nearby, “the castle of bones is growing”, a sign of an immense coming attack.
Role
Expeditions to the barrows are organized there, never alone; the Caves of Chaos lie two to three days away. The village was prepared for battle, with items requested from the Holy Father.
The church of Amonar is at once temple, prison and the central site of a corrupt cult.
Conflicting accounts
- Three voices call Helix a “city”; another calls it “a little village, not a city”.
Open questions
- A popular name for the swamp barrows sounds like “el barro de un mes” or “barrio de los tumulus”; spelling and meaning are uncertain.
- What Helix lives on, and who rules it in practice: the clergy of Amonar, a lord or Massas.
- Its houses, defenses, inn and prisoners; exact distances to the barrows and the Castle of Bones.