The adventure begins in Sandswept Hall, the Pathfinder Lodge in Sothis as Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir briefs the PCs on their upcoming mission.
Greetings Pathfinders, It seems we have another task at hand in the Osirian desert. A travelling caravan heading north from the village of Safani to the city of Eto was recently blown off course while traversing through the Parched Dunes, due to unusually strong
sandstorms. Much of the caravan was destroyed, but one of the survivors, a man by the name of Akenata, claimed to have seen a large pyramid protruding out of the desert. At first many thought that the old man was suffering from heat exhaustion and may have seen a mirage. But then he brought forth a small clay tablet inscribed in Ancient Osiriani. The tablet was a cartouche of the Pharaoh Sekh-pa-Mefer the III, The Pharaoh of Sphinxes.
If this is indeed true then the sands of time have uncovered one of the few pyramids from the First Age of Osirion. I have conducted research within the Great Library of Tephu and discovered a papyrus scroll which contains references into the pharaoh’s name and found that the pyramid is rumored to be one of the few tombs that the Pharaoh Jetrieti V did not plunder during his reign more than 7,500 years ago.
Using the directions the caravan guide has given me, I have created a map for you and will be sending your team of Pathfinders to explore this area. Locate the pyramid and explore it depths. Bring back as many artifacts as you can find, as I have no doubt that Akenata has told his story to others. Word of the pyramid’s discovery has spread far and fast. Archaeologists, explorers, and tomb robbers from across the Inner Sea are gathering in Osirion’s taverns and inns to plan expeditions into the desert, each vying to
be the first to plunder the tomb’s treasures.
Remember you will be traveling in an inhospitable desert environment and very close to the eastern edge of the Footprints of Rovagug. So be vigilant in your travels as all manner of beasts roam those harsh desert sands.
Do any of you have questions before you go?
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It is obviously our noble obligation to secure the site and ensure the safety of any future archeological expeditions to the site. How long can the trip be expected to take from the nearest city just to travel to the pyramid? May I see the tablet and scroll you mentioned? With respect to the site, can you tell me more about the Parched Dunes, this Sekh-pa-Mefer the III, creatures or people of the area, anything else useful?
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"So did I get that right - our job is first not burning to a crisp, then somehow getting inside this thing, check what's inside, get the good stuff out, and to add some fun, keep robbers and would-be scholars away?" Bjor asks while catching for breath. "Oh and of course making it safe for all those people profiting from our exposed necks." he adds, looking at the man besides him who is asking more questions than Bjor can remember - his brain is pretty much a stew by now.
The Ulfen is visibly struggling with the heat, having removed his armor and most of his clothing except for a thin shirt and his throusers.
He knew it would get hot down here, but he didn't expect this.
Most of his equipment lies in a pile next to the chair he is sitting on - formalities and good manners were not very prominent in his mind when he finally reached the insides of a building. He saw a chair and he took it for himself.
Somewhat unimposing, his face has taken on a reddish color, as the pale skin of a warrior mostly used to snow and water wasn't ready for the cruel sun of Osirion.
Seoni sits quietly, listening to the two extremes. One used a hundred complicated words when ten would have sufficed, while the other probably lost his train of thought after the first sentence. Still, it's better than hearing one of Valeros's drunken tales of barmaids he "investigated."
She sighs. "I wonder why the pyramid was exposed now?" She shakes her head. "I'll do what I can to uncover its mysteries- maybe it will help us solve our personal mysteries."
Seoni spends the day talking to her pet skink named Dragon and less on tracking rumors about the pyramid.
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Bjor tried to listen to the Aasimar, but he realized pretty fast that only hot air was coming out of his mouth. Also, his head hurt from the sun.
"Yeah, whatever" he grunts.
When the strange little creature adresses their boss, he is taken back for a second. First time seeing one of their kind with his own eyes, but he did hear of these creeps during his stay in Tian Xia.
"What, are you serious? Trolls don't live in the desert. Everybody knows that! You'll have a lot more luck in the north. Or at least in the mountains." With that, he takes a long sip from his hip flask.
Normaly, it's full of the strongest ale he can find, but unsurprisingly Bjor has switched to simple water.
That one doesn't seem too bright, every child learns where trolls live.
The parched dunes are about 80 miles west-southwest of the city of Eto. It´s an inhospit region with bandits, scorpions and monsters. Sandstorms are not rare.
Pharaoh Sekh-pa-Mefer III ruled Osirion during its First Age, some 7,500 years ago. Called the Pharaoh of Sphinxes, Sekh-pa-Mefer was known to be a friend of the sphinxes of the Osirian desert and hosted many of the enigmatic creatures at his court. During his reign, he claimed that the sphinxes had shared with him the secret of eternal life, and promised that he would return after his death as a god to lead Osirion into a golden age of wisdom and prosperity. After his death, Sekh-pa-Mefer was mummified and interred in a pyramid in the Parched Dunes. But the Pharaoh of Sphinxes never made his promised reappearance, and over the millennia his tomb was buried beneath the ever-shifting sands of the Osirian desert.
Two weeks have passed since you began. You traveled from Sothis to the caravan city of Eto, and south into the desert. Your journey through the Parched Dunes was difficult under the harsh rays of an unforgiving sun and stinging windswept sand. Thankfully all of your camels survived and most of the travel was uneventful. Now finally through the sandy haze you gaze upon the object of your quest.
An incredible man-made mountain, the pyramid rises out of the desert sands, a relic of an earlier age. Its limestone casing blocks are weathered from millennia of scouring sands, but the structure seems solid and intact. A stone wall, buttressed by drifts of sand, surrounds the entire structure. To the east stands a squat stone building,connected to the pyramid by a long, covered causeway. No visible entrances to the pyramid’s interior can be seen.
The exterior of the pyramid is featureless, with no doors or windows. The only entrance into the pyramid lies through the outer temple. The portico walls were once carved in relief, but millennia of exposure to windblown sand has worn the carvings away.
"Beautiful..." Seoni marvels at the pyramid. "Hopefully we got here before the grave robbers did." She hasn't had much trouble travelling around the desert due to her loose clothing and lack of armor.
"I can guard the rear." She notes.
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The parched dunes are about 80 miles west-southwest of the city of Eto. It´s an inhospit region with bandits, scorpions and monsters. ...
A tomb in the desert with scorpions? Antiplague and antitoxin may be a logical item to purchase.
..
I would suggest a traveling order of:
Kyshkumen
( 20-30 ft gap )
Abaal
Bjor
Zanu
Malaika
Seoni
Is that agreeable?
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"scorpions are these strange spider-like things right? If you think they are that dangerous, sure we shall do so."
Arriving as a sweaty behemoth, by now almost more sunburn than man, Bjor is quite happy to be inside a building for a change - even if one full of curses and restless souls of dead kings.
He takes some time to freshen up - which mostly means drinking very large amounts of water and taking in the "cold". Obviously it is still as hot as an oven, but better than outside for sure.
He puts on his armor and readies his weapons for the dangers to come.
After hearing the suggestion of Malaika, Bjor answers with a displeased look on his face:
"What, that strange fella with the mask is to guide us? Well if you think that's a good idea, sure."
He looks at Kyshkumen, his eyebrows forming bushy wedges of distrust, then nods to the brown skinned with the wicked blade.
"We'll make sure the others don't splatter the walls with their blood. No point in defacing these halls - the graverobbers want something to do!"
With that, the Ulfen lets out a joyous grunt.
[ooc]Now is editable, and you cans see more of it, do as you wish.
From the doorway you can see the great hall:
A pair of carved and brightly painted granite columns support the ceiling of this darkened, roughly triangular chamber. To the east, stone statues of a regal man holding a crook and flail and wearing a striped cloth headdress stand on either side of the chamber, though the head of one of the two statues now lies cracked and broken on the alabaster floor. Two more stone statues depicting winged creatures with leonine bodies and falcons’ heads sit beyond.
The smooth granite walls are decorated with hieroglyphs and faded murals that depict loyal subjects and slaves presenting offerings to a pharaoh who sits on a gilded throne, flanked by winged, falcon-headed lions. A passageway to the west stretches off into darkness.
"Sphinxes, huh? Don't know much about them." Seoni shrugs. "Hopefully I can just charm it away."
Kysh stops seeing the statues just in time to avoid stepping in a trap. Wait, don´t step there or rocks will rain over us and-he continues checking the trap until he finds the last piece of it-And a portcullis will wall traping us inside the pyramid
"I'm not a good jumper. Any chance you could disable that, masked man? I'd be much obliged." She proceeds to cast Mage Armor upon herself. "Anyone else wants some magical protection for the next four hours?"
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"I'm not a good jumper. Any chance you could disable that, masked man? I'd be much obliged." She proceeds to cast Mage Armor upon herself. "Anyone else wants some magical protection for the next four hours?"
"I must decline your generous offer Seoni. I try to remain abstinent while on a mission."
After a while messing with the trap, Kyshkumen is able to disable the trap and cross the doors. After walking for many feet through a corridor until Zanu and Malaika inform you all they´re seeing with his darkvision the corridor is blocked by a piramid.
Seoni stiffles a laugh as Abaal implies something she didn't consider. "Haha. Onward, then. I'll let you keep your personal protection."
Kyshkumen fiddles with the trap for a bit. "Thank you for your effort. Dragon is pleased, too." The blue critter hisses and sticks out its tongue in appreciation?
Seoni lights the tip of her quarterstaff as they travel down the corridor.
As Bjor slowly aproaches the pyramid, it starts moving over it´s stone rollers threatening to stamp itself against the Ulfen, or worse.
Combat round one
Bold can act
Kyshkumen
Zanu
Seoni
Abaal
Malaika
Pyramid
Bjor
"I couldn't agree with you more, Malaika!"
When in doubt... Seoni pulls out her wand of magic missile and points. two bolts of pure energy whizz out and slam into the pyramid.
Malaika and Abaal starts shouting about what they had discobered about the pyramid: It´s a construct, the only way to destroy this thing is to reduce it to rubble, which will be very difficult since it is made from stone.
You don't want to get trapped under something that heavy, you'll be mangled for sure.
"Remember the trap pit?" Seoni notes. "Maybe we can retreat there. Maybe the weakened floor will crumble under this thing's weight!" Seoni prepares to turn tail and run back toward the entrance.