The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

Well aware of that. ;-)

"Those are a few of the defenses in the pyramid of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension. As your people are in the process of unearthing Ahn'Selota, I imagine whatever group you've selected to do the advance exploration has been properly briefed on what they may encounter? Do you have anyone who's fluent in Ancient Osirioni?"

The man just gave you a look you didn't get very often - like he thought you were an idiot. "No, we only learned how to speak jungle pygmy, because that's the only thing that would be relevant. Get out and stop wasting people's time with stupid questions - we're busy with actual work here, and I don't have time for dolts. Next!" he turned back to the papers he was going over.

I'd like to use Know Secrets on him.
- what's his full name and official title?
- who's on the advance scouting team?
- what's something about him that nobody else knows

Basically wanting to show that I'm someone worth listening to. ;-)

The man is Amosis, the Master of the Camp and Assistant to Exemplar Khymrasa. The advance scouting consists of a number of (disposable) male slaves, and several teams have been planned just in case. Amosis is Cheliaxian by birth, but his mother was a Nidalese sorceress. He's no true caster himself, but the magic of his homeland has made him a bit tougher than most people, and his ability to work long hours day after day is most of the reason for the position he now holds.

With a momentary surge of power, Astoroth suddenly delved deep into the man's history. Quickly picking out the most pertinent bits of information, he then snapped back to the present. Quietly, but with total confidence, he responded. "Sending groups of slaves, Amosis, might be par for the course in Cheliax or Nidal, but it's terribly wasteful and inefficient. Especially if you've given the teams ANY indication that they're disposable - they'll have no reason to put forth their best effort. Given your heritage, I'm surprised you're not including any mages. Your mother, I'm sure, has shown you how useful we can be. Especially if there are any magical defenses that need to be removed. Now, will you take the time to hear my proposal, or should I speak with the Exemplar directly?"

The man paused at that, and looked up again as the conversations throughout the tent quieted. "...Huh. Maybe you aren't totally worthless." he said. "Of course, one does wonder why we have any reason to trust you or believe you'd put out interests at the forefront of your actions..."

Now they were starting to get somewhere. "You don't. My associate and I are strangers to you, after all. If you wish, however, you can inquire in Sothis about 'Astoroth, the seeker of Knowledge.' The society of Pathfinders has hired me in the past for similar expeditions. The tomb of the Merchant Prince, for example.

"Truthfully, riches do not concern me. I'm interested in any preserved knowledge that may be stored in the pyramid. You're, of course, more than welcome to send your own team in with us to supervise."

Amosis snorted slightly. "Buncha stuck-up thieves who like sticking their noses in everyone else's business." he muttered. "I'll let the Exemplar know about your... offer. Her word's the law here, and she'll be the one deciding who goes in and when." He focused on your ace for just a moment longer. "If you know what's good for you, you won't try anything funny. We've got a permit for this dig, and the Ruby Prince doesn't care how we punish troublemakers. Someone will find you once the Exemplar makes a decision." he turned back to the documents on the table.

"If I intended to try something ... funny ... I would have done so already. You have nothing to fear from me." Calmly, Astoroth exited the tent and began looking for a good place to await the Exemplar's decision. Of course, if her answer wasn't to his liking, he'd still be exploring the pyramid. Having official status would make things easier but wouldn't ultimately change anything.

Kozuri hummed slightly as she kept pace with you. "Cheery sort, isn't he?" she mused. "Maybe it's all the sun. I like it, myself, but..." she shrugged slightly.

It will take some time for the Exemplar to make a decision - several days, in fact. If you'd like, you could simply wait - or you could explore the area, and perhaps do something they'd rather you not. XD

I'd like to explore the area but have no intention of causing trouble. That would just delay the pyramid's excavation, and they probably have someone keeping an eye on me anyway. ;-)

Your first order of business is ultimately checking out the excavation site itself - and while you're not allowed too close, you do have the chance to examine it.

This giant pit grows wider and deeper every day, with everburning torches lighting the way for nighttime workers. A compacted slope of sand allows Khymrasa’s slave force to pull sand-filled carts out of the pit. From there, the workers dump their payloads at one of the several designated quickly-growing mountains of sand. Four large pulleys are also used to clear sand, hauling huge buckets straight up from the bottom of the pit. Each pulley is hitched to either a horse team or a build beast (a kind of charmed, trained ankheg) at the edge of the pit.

A day after you arrived, a flurry of excitement ran through the camp - it appeared they had found the top of the pyramid, and orders came down for the speed of the excavation to increase. When it was about halfway cleared, a letter came for you, delivered by one of the camp's many slaves.

It is said the inside of the pyramid holds a number of rare seeds that could be used to reintroduce certain food crops to the land. If you can recover these, you will be rewarded well. You will receive an even greater reward if you can retrieve the Pact Stone or provide reasonably complete information about its status and location. Do not attempt to double-cross us - we have resources more extensive than you can imagine. The excavation will be complete in several days. Make your preparations.

-Khymrasa

Astoroth allowed himself a small chuckle at Khymrasa's ludicrous hyperbole.

Ready when you are. :-)

As the next few days passed, you caught sight of a few eyeballs floating around the camp - they were higher than people normally looked, but your keen gaze didn't miss much. They watched you occasionally, but you also caught them looking at everything from animals and slaves to the road leaving the entire site. One of them was hovering around when a team of twenty slaves, working frantically, finally opening up a perfectly square passageway. The busied themselves with further clearing the area around the entrance, even as cheers could be heard topside.

"All right, time to earn your pay. If we don't hear from you in a few hours, we're just going to assume you're dead." one of the local overseers said with a laugh, slapping your back as you headed inside. This long narrow shaft spears into the heart of the pyramid. The downward slope is gentle, beckoning into the darkness beyond.

Astoroth briefly nodded, put up some basic (but useful) spells, and entered the pyramid.

Spending two spell points on Logos. I now have comprehend languages and tongues for the next 7hrs. Also, my Breeze-Kissed trait is currently active.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 + 1d6 ⇒ (20) + 18 + (2) = 40 (+2 vs traps)
Will pause to divine for magic auras if it appears relevant. Also remaining wary regarding any encircled runes. ;-)

You weren't even halfway down the tunnel when you encountered your first problem - a Girallon covered in iridescent, probably-readable runes was blocking the path, and it let out an angry roar as you approached.

Init (Enemy): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Init (You): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

Fortunately, you were still able to react faster than it was...

It's a move action to get into melee range. The hallway here is 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall.

Do I need to move closer and/or spend an action to read the runes?

You can read them as a Move Action with a DC 20 Linguistics check. Just knowing the language isn't actually enough in this case... in part because they're moving around wildly while a four-armed gorilla goes berserk on you. XD

Linguistics: 1d20 + 13 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 13 + (2) = 27
Standard Action will depend on what the runes say.

After a few moments, you realize that the glowing runes are a single message, repeated over and over: I am the curse, I am your curse, I am your end.

That was disconcerting. "This creature claims to be a curse, Miss Kozuri. I'm going to conduct a brief experiment." With a gesture, he sent a sharp wind at the girallon but deliberately kept it weak in case the curse was one of attack redirection.

Destructive Blast: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22 Slashing Damage: 3d6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 4, 5) + 3 = 15

Knowledge(have i heard of this kind of rune before?): 1d20 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + (5) = 17 (+ at least 10 depending on the Knowledge)

You weren't familiar with the exact type of rune in question, although from what you could see so far, it seemed to be little more than a message. Maybe it was just meant to intimidate people... or maybe there was something more to this.

Your blast hit the creature and sunk into it, definitely doing damage - which, admittedly, was what was expected from such magic. It didn't actually do anything else, though, and the Girallon was on you a moment later, snapping down with its massive jaws.

Bite (Astoroth): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

Having a mouth that big near your head was a little worrying, but you managed to duck under the blow. More problematically, the creature had moved right up to you - and given its size and reach, you couldn't get out of its attack range with a simple five-foot step.

Destructive magic appears to work as expected on the creature, and it seemed to be a regular Girallon rather than the High variant. Excellent. Calmly, Astoroth spin kicked the creature's head.

Swift Action: activate Snake Style
Move Action: activate Studied Target
Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 12 + 2 = 28 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12

Your kick managed to strike it - but it was fully in range now, and attacked with all four limbs as well as its slavering jaws as it attempted to beat you down as quickly as it could. It was definitely a good thing that your defenses were so robust - as fearsome as the beast was, it would have been a lot more frightening if more of its attacks were likely to land.

Bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29 for Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29 for Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

Snake Style: 1d20 + 20 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 20 + (6) = 30
Unarmed AoO: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 12 + 2 = 34 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 2 = 16

Anticipating the bite, Astoroth smoothly slipped inside the creature's reach and delivered a spear hand to its neck. Unfortunately, he wasn't yet fast enough to avoid the rest of the attacks but managed to avoid significant injury. Maintaining his position, he sent two more punches at the girallon's head. It was large and muscular, but repeated blows to the head would bring it down eventually.

Unarmed Flurry: 1d20 + 12 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 2 - 2 = 27 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 2 = 9
Unarmed Flurry: 1d20 + 12 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 12 + 2 - 2 = 13 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 2 = 13

EDIT: AoO Confirm: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 12 + 2 = 21 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 2 = 10

Perhaps this was best described as a case of mind over matter? Your snaking strike hit the beast hard, and one flurry blow joined it as the creature continued to rage. It was badly damaged, but not down, and didn't let up for even a moment.

Bite: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Claw: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29 for Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Fortunately, only one of its blows came in - which probably wasn't going to be too hard to counter again, and at this point, it was clear the battle was pretty much over. With one more solid strike, you were able to finish the beast off, and Kozuri gingerly hopped over its body.

"Probably a good thing they didn't send a bunch of slaves in here first..." she mused. "I don't think that would have gone very well for them."

The missed bite would have triggered an AoO. If it had connected, I would have spent my Immediate Action to hit it again. No counter that round, but it probably wouldn't have mattered. ;-)

Astoroth nodded. "And that's one reason I wanted us to go first. Sending unskilled laborers into a potentially-hostile environment is just wasteful." It wasn't the main reason, of course. If the pursuit of knowledge meant sending people to their deaths, it didn't bother him. But doing so when there was an obviously better option was just plain common sense. Use your resources in the most efficient way.

Let's check out the body before proceeding onward.

You'd barely started looking over the creature's body when the runes on its body lit up, and the entire creature shifted form, becoming-

1d20 ⇒ 4

-a very-much-alive basilisk that let out an angry cry as it prepared to attack.

Init (Enemy): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19
Init (You): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

It... might be a problem if it was going to keep resurrecting itself that way, to say nothing of the immediate danger of its gaze. Your body was tough, but there was always that chance...

The runes' message made a lot more sense now. "Miss Kozuri, I'd suggest you avert your gaze and run to the far end of the hall. I'll be right behind you."
Swift Action: gain a 40ft movement speed via my protokinetic feat

And... I'm fighting a cold, so the rest of my turn will have to wait until I'm feeling less fog-headed.

Kozuri nodded - she was pretty confident in her ability to resist infernal things, but the Basilisk wasn't in that category, and she didn't need to be told twice to get out of the way. She just ran.

I think a Withdraw action will be the best choice right now. How long is the corridor? Also, could the break enchantment talent from the Life sphere be used against it?

The corridor is about 50 feet long, and you're halfway down it. You can certainly attempt any powers you think might be effective on it. ...Naturally, as a general rule, I'm willing to accept Spheres' closest equivalent for anything that requires a specific counter. XD

Cast Defensively: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
Melee Touch: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

The runes referred to a curse. If removed, would prevent the creature from resurrecting. With a surge of power, Astoroth reached out and attempted to rescribe some of the runes.

Wild Arcana for the break enchantment talent from the Life Sphere. Among other things, it functions as the remove curse spell against effects requiring that for removal.

Magic Skill Bonus Check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

There was a cracking sound, then the Basilisk's body simply exploded, the various runes on its body winking out of sight as its remains vanished. There was no telling how long that might last, but at least for the moment, the cursed creature(?) was no longer a threat to you, and you were able to proceed forward to a new room.

This huge chamber forms a semicircle. A muscular Osirian adorned in robes sits upon a massive stone throne in the center. Snow-white linen gauze wraps his entire body. As you entered, the figure rose and spoke in the ancient Osiriani language. <"Who seeks to enter the heart of Ahn'Selota?">

He's a human, right? Not an undead?

<"Astoroth, seeker of knowledge. I come at the request of the Radiant Pharaoh.">

*Updates map*

The figure - too strangely bulky to be human, but not undead either - stirred slightly, but settled down at the last word you spoke. <"I am Ro ap Han, the guardian of Ahn'Selota. What is it you desire here?"> the figure rumbled, its voice inhumanly deep.

Creature Identification: 1d20 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + (2) = 9 (+15-18 depending on the specific skill)

It's some kind of stone golem. XD

<"I've been instructed to locate two items: seeds to restore crops to the land, and the Pact Stone.">

The golem looked at you for a few long moments, seeming almost... puzzled. <"I sense the power of the Pharaohs upon you, but it is not the same as what my makers possessed."> Ro ap Han mused. <"Yet that is the sign of their power, and to permit its entry and exit is my duty. Very well, you may pass."> The golem rose from its seat, moving towards the north-northeast part of the room. As it approached the wall, its body split apart and a green glow appeared, showing what seemed to be a room on the other side. <"Enter, Pharaoh. Your companion may follow.">

After a few moments of consideration, you passed through. Five scales hang from the ceiling here. Behind them, twenty-three tiny jade statuettes of various men and woman hard at work have been carefully arranged on a raised dais. Hieroglyphs line the walls in vertical columns.

The ones on the southeast wall read as follows: When Anuchro Het’s scribe died, his will decreed that his 23 slaves be divided amongst his five surviving heirs, in the exact proportions of 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8 and 1/12. This led to a quarrel as the five heirs could not agree how many slaves each was to receive. Anuchro Het entreated the Pharaoh of Numbers to resolve the dispute and all agreed that the pharaoh’s solution was wise.

This was a rather tricky riddle, and there were only a few possible solutions. To emulate a different ancient monarch, one could divide the individual slaves into smaller pieces and forcibly create an proportional distribution. Of course, that was almost certainly not the expected answer. Perhaps there was some information missing. After all, a split of (8, 6, 4, 3, 2) would account for all the slaves in an ALMOST proportional fashion, so that was likely one of the steps. The question was, what was missing....

Take20 to search for more clues

A careful search reveals that the statuettes are all movable (and quite solid), but there don't seem to be any bits of information other than what you've already uncovered. If it's a puzzle, it's probably meant to be solved with what's already here.

Meanwhile, Kozuri was looking back at the wall as the warp portal faded away - the golem was apparently going back to its seat.

The requested proportions added up to 23/24. Therefore, to fulfill the stated conditions, a single slave must be added temporarily and then removed once the division was complete. With a wave of his hand, the statues settled on their respective scales.
(8, 6, 4, 3, 2)
via telekinesis

Statues tumbled through the air and landed on the appropriate scales - and after a few moments, you picked out the one that was best to tug down, and there was a satisfying click as a hidden door in the wall swung open, offering entry to a long semi-circular hallway.

As you move into it, a figure dressed in an ankle-length grey gown slowly walks toward you. They carry a bone scroll case in their left hand and a lit, black tallow candle in their right. "Tell me, do you have a priest among you who can raise the dead?"

That's not creepy at all....

Knowledge(creature type): 1d20 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + (6) = 13 (+15-18)

Given all the heavy robes, you can't pinpoint the creature's type - although careful observation of their movement, including slight bulges in their robe, suggests that their form is at least basically humanoid in nature.

The lack of '<>' means it's speaking Common, correct?

"Why do you ask us this?"

Correct.

Rather than responding, the figure simply vanished - and the bone scroll case clattered to the ground. Kozuri twitched slightly, and seemed to be of the same opinion on this as you...

Cautiously, Astoroth sent a gentle breeze to lift open the scroll case - then examined its contents without touching them.

Telekinetic Finesse allows me to perform delicate maneuvers at range.

The scroll case was simple enough, although you did have to fiddle with it a bit before you found the clasp that opened it. Inside was a Scroll of Raise Dead, and search as you might, there didn't seem to be any traps or tricks to go along with it.

"...Maybe that's their idea of a warning?" Kozuri suggested, although her tone made it clear that even she didn't believe it.