Martha the Gingham Lady docent comes walking through the house and asks the group
“Any questions folks?”
She looks a bit embarrassed
“I know you folks just got here a few minutes back, but I just want to let you know I’ll be locking up in about a half hour. If you like, the outside walking trails are available, and there are some historical markers along the way. “
"Thanks, ma'am," Mirem nods in a friendly manner. "Oh, I meant to ask - are there any of those strange 'Viking' stones on the grounds? I'd like to see one, maybe get a rubbing or sketch one."
Martha nods
“There are some near the pond. They have their own marker, and there is a map poster outside showing the various paths”
"It sounds like it's time to go outside, then. I'm ready if you are?" Miren gives her friends a querying look.
Miyuku nods, wanting to have a chance to discuss the grim vision tied to the location.
Nace grimaces and nods. ”Thank you, ma’am.” He waits until they are out of earshot before relating what he saw. ”That house holds memories…”
The three emerge from the house. There is a large map in the entry spot by the parking lot they had left their car. The map is encased in a dull plastic protector and mounted on two 4x4s sunk into the ground. Various small graffiti decorate the plastic and poles, evidence of years of bored children passing by
The map indicates a tangle of walking trails. Several lead to Adam’s Pond. One of these also passes by an area marked as ‘The Barrow Stones’. Adam’s Pond has several beaches and camping areas identified along its shores.
"We know we're on the right track at least if you saw the proposal. Just a matter of where the ring might be. The suicide was...disturbing though." Miyuku brings up once the trio are alone.
”Yeah. Isn’t a barrow like a grave of some sort? Seems like a promising route…”
Miren nods. "The barrow trail looks like a good option."
"Works for me. We'll have to make sure to keep our...eyes..open for anything beyond the ordinary." Miyuku agrees.
The group, noticing the fact that the afternoon light is fading, start to walk along the path indicated to the 'Barrow Stones'. It is not a far walk, and the weather is pleasant, with just a hint of chill in the air.
They walk through the surrounding fields, passing a few outdoor exhibits showing larger farm equipment and a few posted photos of the place back in the past. After the fields, a forest rears up. The trees are large, but not huge. It is obviously a secondary forest, and the area was likely farmland at some point a hundred years ago.
the trail meanders on until it reaches a clearing. A small hillock rears up in the center of the clearing, about 100 feet long and about 20 feet high. Several worn granite stones are placed about the hillock. There is another plastic-sheathed signboard nearby:
Barrow Hill-The Barrow Stones
This monument was thought to have been originally erected by the native Algonquin peoples of the area. It is an anomaly for their culture however, and some archaeologists have theorized that it might be evidence of the enigmatic Mississippian culture having a settlement nearby, although none has ever been definitively identified in the area.
The Barrow Stones nearby are painstakingly carven with various patterns, which remain uncategorized. The monument had many more stones in the Nineteenth Century, but local settlers cannibalized them for various projects. Some have been returned, but many were lost.
Local legends identified this hill as a Viking burial mound, thus its name. However, no evidence of a Viking presence, or any type of burial has been discovered in or near the Barrow Hill. It likely served as a ritual platform, and several arrowheads and small decorative pieces have been uncovered on the hill itself.
Several pictures and illustrations are included on the information board, including a picture of the hill in the Nineteenth Century, which shows about a dozen more stones around the hill. a fanciful illustration of natives atop the hill and photos of a few artifacts found nearby are also included.
Nace reads the sign and then looks up at the hill. ”There could be a view from up top.” It is clear he is referring to both the mundane view as well as the view through the vail.
There are several Please do not climb the hill signs scattered around, but no physical barrier to climbing the hillock. In fact, a small path is worn into the side facing away from the trail. It looks as if locals routinely flout the rules
"I would like to examine these stones. You two go ahead. I can catch up," Miren offers to the others.
Mirren will check out the "barrow stones" and see if the inscriptions and patterns mean anything to her. If the designs are small enough, she can make rubbings with pages from her sketchbook and a pencil.
What do you think, yázhí? Anything look familiar to you?
Nace looks at Miren and nods. ”I’d like to see what’s up there.” He starts climbing the trail.
Nace follows the worn trail up the side of the hillock. It’s not a long climb, the ‘summit’ is about 20 feet from the clearing. The top of the hillock is flat, and the grass up here shows wear and tear. Although there isn’t a lot of trash here, Nace sees a lot of cigarette butts in the patchy grass. His cop intuition says teen hangout spot.
The sun is sinking into the horizon, and the autumnal sky is lit up with a pallet of colors. Nace can see that from this vantage point he can see Adam’s Pond through the light forest. The trees have begun to shed their leaves, and the water of the pond glints with the red sunset.
"I would like to examine these stones. You two go ahead. I can catch up," Miren offers to the others.
Mirren will check out the "barrow stones" and see if the inscriptions and patterns mean anything to her. If the designs are small enough, she can make rubbings with pages from her sketchbook and a pencil.
What do you think, yázhí? Anything look familiar to you?
[dice=Knowledge(occult)]1d20+6
Miren and her ghostly charge wander over to one stone. It stands about four feet tall, a solid chunk of local granite. The markings are very faint, but Miren runs her hands along the stone’s face, feeling their looping swirls. She has never come across anything like this, but the local tribes were culturally much different than her region. She cannot discern a pattern, but she would bet good money that this stone did something, in a magical sense
Deeming Nace the more capable of self-defense of her two companions, Miyuku sticks with Miren, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger as the Spirit-talker investigates the stones.
Miyuku stills her breathing and enters a mental fugue state her sensei taught her. Observing everything quietly, not becoming distracted by the sights and sounds. For some reason, it works very well this time. She hears the gentle sound of Miren’s hand rubbing the warm stone, her sub vocal noise as she thinktalks to her invisible companion. Miyuku hears the birds foraging in the leaf litter and some small animal traveling towards the pond in small rushes of speed
Nace looks about, taking in the view. The air here is fresh, and he can readily imagine a life where this is all that there is - where he could be blissfully unaware that there could be spiritual resonances here that he can peer into. He is tempted not to look - to just leave this place and pretend none of this ever happened - but he cannot. He takes one more deep breath of fresh air and then pierces the veil.
Nace looks into the shadows and he is gripped with a vision, much like the ones he experienced in the Bailey House. He sees a group of Native Americans gathered in a loose circle. Although he is not an expert, he seems to think there are two tribes present. Their hairstyles and clothing seem very different to each other.
Suddenly there is a screech of anger, very inhuman. A man approaches, older, dressed in an elaborate tunic and headdress. He walks backwards, gesturing and chanting at another man who walks about 15 feet away from him. This man is obviously European, with long lank blonde hair. He is dressed in what Nace would think of generic medieval clothing and armor, with a chainmail hauberk and a large axe. The man seems to be resisting his own movement, screeching and snarling as his feet take unwilling steps towards the other man
The pair enters the loose circle, and the entire circle begins chanting. The blonde man drops to his knees and howls up at the sky. Suddenly, above him is a spectral image of a giant with a deer skull for a head. There is a crescendo of chanting and the European drops prone, unmoving. The older man approaches and sets several items by the prone man. Then a group of other natives begin appearing at the tree line with large baskets on their shoulders. They begin pouring out dirt on top of the prone European.
The scene fades then reignites. The hill is now present, and fully formed, but still raw earth and rock. A group of natives situate a dozen stones around the hill. Then there is a cold flash, and the etchings of the stones glow and pulse before fading again. Nace’s vision ends, and he is back on the hilltop
"These stones were something magical," Miren says softly to Miyuko. "I am unfamiliar with the tradition, but, by their placement, they might be some sort of a boundary. Whether to keep something out or in, I cannot tell."
She opens her senses to the world beyond the visible, attempting to learn more.
Miren opens her perception wide. The twilight deepens, and the forest assumes a washed out sepia tone. She looks at the rock and she can see a faint bluish tracery glimmering along the carvings. She looks up and suddenly there is a old native man standing near her. He is dressed in strange garb. Miren finds it vaguely familiar, it brings up distant memories of her first life.
The man brings his hand to his heart and extends it to her in greeting. Unlike the surroundings, the man is colorful, which makes him seem almost surreal along the faded muted sepia surroundings
**greetings, two heart** The man says to Miren
Her awareness open to everything as she listens to Miren explain, Miyuku knows immediately when Miren begins interacting with something beyond the veil but keeps her perception grounded to the physical plane, partially not to intrude, and partially to stand watch while her friend has a foot in each world.
Miren mirrors his gesture. "We greet you, Elder."
Little Miren stands close by the physical one. "Hi," she says softly.
Puzzling a bit at the garb, Miren hesitantly adds, "Do I... know you?"
The elder smiles, his lined copper face serene
"No, little one. I passed on from the world long before either of your lives. I sensed your approach, and I wanted to tell the story of this place to someone who might understand"
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Miren nods and gracefully seats herself on the ground, motioning the child to join her. "We are listening, Grandfather."
Miren gets the feeling that she and this strange entity aren't 'talking' in a physical sense. The elder seems to be speaking, and he speaks perfect Midwest American with a pleasant deep voice. He nods at the stones
"Long ago, a millennia now as time passes here, explorers came out of the eastern waters. The tribes that met them at the shore called them the Nibinaak, or Sea People. There were never many of them, and they would try to trade or capture people. Since there were only ever a few dozen at most the coastal people drove them off with little problem. Occasionally some would make their ways up a large river to explore. One such voyage came up towards this area."
The elder spirit looks around, at the dark mountains that stand on the horizon all about them. They are not as tall at the western ones Miren is accustomed to, but they have their own ancient majesty
"This place is a focus for Manitu, the divine force that binds the world together. but the wolf and the deer will both drink at the pool. Both good manitu and .. others came here. "
The elder's face turns to the grey mound
"An elder spirit. A Wendigo, dwelt in this area. The Nibinaak warriors came across it, and the Wendigo found it easy to possess one of them, for their minds suited the Wendigo's tastes perfectly."
The elder shakes his head
"Never had such a potent transformation ever occurred. The Wendigo used the Nibinaak warrior as a willing puppet, and together they caused many horrors in this land."
The elder looks sad as he contemplates the mound
"The Abenaki were great with green magic, but the magics of stones and binding were not their path. They sent runners to us in our city by the Great Waters and asked our help. We sent shamans to help them bind this monster. I was one who traveled here to these mountains."
He looks at Miren
"We bound that spirit here, caught it, and tied strong ropes of manitu in a spider web across its resting place, anchored by these stones. And there it lay until one day one of the Nibinaak tribe, who had eventually settled here much later felt greed and took the stones away. Then he was tormented by visions of riches under the mound. But it was just the Wendigo calling to him using his greed. And he listened. He dug into the mound and disturbed the thing. It possessed him and they left soon after"
The elder looks at Miren.
"I tell you this, but not to ask you to hunt it. It is an elder thing, and likely even more powerful in your world than it was in mine. I only wish you to be aware of what stalks these places, and to be wary."
Miren's eyes unfocus, and her voice takes on a different cadence as she stares into nothingness. "Like those we do not name, back at home. The terrors of the Lakes and Forest peoples. It walks these lands even now? Little wonder this is a place of strange happenings."
The elder nods
“This place is a place of power. Many creatures of the manitu are drawn here. You must be wary, young ones. Both of you”
He smiles at Ghost Miren
“Perhaps one day you will bind the wendigo to its place again. That will be when you have walked farther along in your journey though. Come here when that day comes and I will assist you. Until then, my blessings on your journey “
The elder fades and Miren and her ghostly child companion are slone
After his vision fades, Nace walks back down the hillside to join Miren and Miyuku. ”There’s power in this place for sure. I could see up there, back to when something or someone was contained beneath this mound. Those stones are meant to be like a seal - keep whatever it is underground.”
Nace's voice jolts Miren back to the real world, and she rises a little too quickly from the ground. She staggers a step, then spends a moment brushing debris from the seat of her jeans to catch her breath.
She nods to Nace. "They were. But they failed to hold the wendigo, which roams free now, indulging its unnatural greed." Looking to Miyuko, she asks "Did you catch any of what I saw?"
"I kept my vision in this world, in case anything came up on you, but I could tell whatever you were seeing was important, and... I don't know if 'hear' is quite the word, but...I could tell you were speaking to someone....without words." Miyuku replies.
"So....this wendigo.... ancient evil... bound here....now out on the loose?" she pieces together, looking questioningly at both of her companions. "That definitely can't be a good thing."
"No... no, it is not. This thing is old beyond imagining. It possessed one of the early explorers here and caused no end of trouble to the tribes. The tribe called for help from many others to finally bind the body and secure it here. But the... the wards they put up were ruined by someone modern who removed the anchor stones as ancient curiosities and was eventually joined with the dark spirit."
She stretches as if just awakening, breathing the crisp autumn air deeply before continuing. "We are warned to not attempt to confront this spirit. It is far stronger than we. But the shades of those who worked the original binding remain here, and will aid us - or any others - who can overcome this evil and bring it here to re-inter."
"Did you find anything at the top of this hill?" she asks Nate. "This is a place of power; I would be very surprised if you could not feel anything about it."
”I saw them put up the wards - trap the man possessed by the spirit. The magic is still there, but people have been removing stones over the years. People need to learn to leave things alone.”
"Did you see the spirit escape as well? I am curious when it happened and if it could relate to the drownings."
The light is beginning to fade as sunset comes over the area. The mound was about halfway to the pond
"I guess we should check out the pond before nightfall." Miyuku suggests stretching before preparing to move on.
”What I saw was only the spirit being entombed. I didn’t see what happened afterward.”
Nace nods at Miyuku. ”Let’s check it out.”
The group wanders down the darkening trail. They soon arrive at the edge of the pond. It is a typical glacial kettle pond, compact and ringed by lovely red and yellow foliage. There is a path to a campground to the left, and a longer path heading around he pond to the right
”Hmm. The campground has probably been disturbed lots of times over. Hopefully what we’re looking for isn’t there. I say we try the other way first. See what we find.”
The party begins to walk along the trail going around the pond. It was originally laid out and graded, but the surrounding forest has snaked roots across the way and encroached with brambles. the going is fairly narrow, but the view as the sky darkens is very pretty
Nace takes in the view for a moment, then keeps walking. ”I’m not sure what we’re looking for. Hopefully something as obvious as that hill, or a ruined building or something.”
The change in the sky draws Miyuku's attention for a moment, both for its inherent beauty, and the signaling of the coming of nightfall, the encroaching darkness like a welcome blanket to the shadow-touched warrior.
"If not, then maybe one of us should shift our perception on the way back, catch anything that may be hiding in plain sight by being in both worlds" Miyuku offers.
”Hmm. Or maybe even as we go.”
"Agreed. I'd volunteer but I see and operate better in the dark if anything comes up on us in the 'real' world." Miyuku says quietly.
Nace takes a moment to pause and Pierce the Veil.