Brennan scrubbed at his forehead again, with the same result. Nothing. Would he have to deal with that damn brand the rest of his life? There had to be a way to get it removed. Likely be expensive, though. Brennan grabbed a trip of black cloth and tied it around his head as a headband, making sure to cover up most of the branded characters.
He made it downstairs for breakfast, only to find Omenhotep holding court at the table. Brennan grabbed some bread and jam, and a few slices of hard cheese, before joining them at the table.
"'Sfar as I can tell, they simply have a list of sites in a jar. They read out an exploration group's name, then draw from the jar. It could easily be rigged, but I can't see why the priests would care." Brennan said around a mouthful of cheese.
"From how hotlips was talking last night, it seems that there is no real way to influence the lottery without the priests being complicit. We have as good a chance of getting the Sanctum of the Squinting Eye as anybody, I guess. If I'd have known you wanted that particular spot, I might have been able to work something out last night. Likely too late to do anything about it now, though."
*************************
As the day progressed, he moved among some shops, chatting with vendors and finding out who would likely pay the most for what. If they came across anything special in the next tomb, he wanted to know ahead of time where to sell the loot.
"With a finite number of locations in the lottery, and I believe locations are not being replaced in the lottery, and if the number of groups are not changing dramatically between each drawing, then our chances of getting the desired location increases with each drawing, until such time as another group gets the location before us."
"For example if there were only 10 location and only 3 groups, and we do not know what order the groups will receive their lottery selection, there is a 1:720 chance we would get the desired location. This increases to 1:210 for the next lottery of 7 remaining locations, then 1:24 for the third lottery of 4 remaining locations and finally 1:3 for the last lottery for the only remaining location."
"Something of power like that is certainly well guarded. Given the trouble we've had so far, we should be thankful we have not been so... 'blessed'"
Omen nods as each of his companions speaks, though he is slightly slower to do so in the wake of Chephren's mathematical explanations. "We will see what the lottery and fates have in store, but the truest treasure we might find in the dead city are within the Sanctum. Of this I am sure."
"All I know is that whoever does get the Sanctum better keep an eye out for Velriana and her band of desert rats. Something tells me that anyone that fired up to get into a specific place isn't going to take no for an answer. And I doubt the priests care all that much who gets which place. If the assigned group suddenly gets wiped out from an attack of the conscience, then who is really going to complain, or even know, if someone else takes over?"
Omen nods slowly, agreeing with Brennan's assessment. "A shrewd observation, Brennan, and very likely correct." He pauses for a moment, then asks, "What of that Sigrun woman and her thirst for stories and tales? Are there none in this strange town to be trusted?"
"Of course not. You can't trust people. People lie, to you and themselves. At best you can rely on considered self-interest, but even there you can get badly burned. A zealot can't even be trusted to act in his own interests. In this world world, monsters are real, but the worst ones look like people."
You spend the morning resolving the last vestiges of treasure that was found, and split what coin was made in the previously agreed upon manner. You each managed to get around five hundred gold, and finish the afternoon with trying to find whatever useful accoutrements may help in exploring the next site.
As the sun begins to set the crowds gather before the Grand Mausoleum. The forefront of the group is made up of the teams awaiting the lots being pulled, while the remainder are eager observers or merchants interested in either the stories or riches bound to return.
The pulling of lots happens just as it had for the other two drawings. Mostly uninteresting as each group name is called, their lots drawn, and the acceptance of the receiving team. The call goes out for one of the teams, paying no mind considering it isn't yours. Then a call comes out from the crowd, loud and angry, .
A collective gasp passes among the crowd, as the Pharasmins look out into the audience for the speaker. Frustration evident, they return to their task, calling out the name and lot again, and again, waiting for a claimant. They call out three more times total, before you see them return the token into the urn it was drawn from, as the other one draws a line across the book.
A few more tokens are drawn and lots assigned before you hear your names called out. They wait, allowing a moment for the representative to call out or approach to claim their assignment and receive the rough map to the location.
Behind his gilded mask, Omen smiles. Having not seen the lottery process before, he defers to the other Architects, expecting Chephren or Brennan to step forward on behalf of the group.
Chephren raises a hand for the Pharasmins to see the groups acknowledgement of the lot, before he moves forward to retrieve the token. As he moves though the gathering of adventures, he scans for members of the Scorched Hand, knowing that if they are here still then trouble will not be far behind.
It took some searching through the day to find a weaponsmith qualified enough to finally figure out the material of the heavy flail you had found. It made more sense after he told you, as it is adamantine, a rare and precious metal not often found in the desert wastes.
--------------
As Chephren approaches the stage to receive the approved token and a map to the location, he glances across the gathered audience of onlookers and remaining groups for a particular group. It's difficult to look across the sea of people, but he is pretty certain that the glaringly obvious, large, purple, floppy hat of Velriana can not be seen among them. The priests redirect his attention back to them, they then hand him the token and map, showing him the way to the site, and remind him of the three rules for exploring the Necropolis with the permission of the Grand Mausoleum. "The gates open at dawn and close at dusk, you may not enter until then or exit after they close."
Upon returning to his group, "Well that was a suprise to get this location. As Brennan said last night, we should keep our eye open for 'Velriana and her band of desert rats'. Some of the foreign Nethytes I understand can be fanatics in there beliefs."
"Let us be done with our purchases and head back into the Necropolis. If we can finish quickly, we may not have to send the night inside with the dead again."
You have the rest of this evening to finish any errands you have in mind, and can be at the entrance to the Necropolis at dawn tomorrow for when the doors are opened.
"Hmm, what are the odds? We just happened to get assigned the one place that everyone else seems to want to get into. Even Omen. I'd say we should be on our guard this night, and make sure that we are all together...even Omen. It wouldn't surprise me if those desert rats try and take the place from us, over our dead bodies, if need be."
True to his words, Brennan stayed with the others as they finished up their purchases, trading in some of his heavier gear for lighter versions, and wishing he had enough money to upgrade his armor. Oh well.
When purchases were done, he cautioned the others against mingling in the common room, and getting rest before the next day's adventures.
***************
The next morning, well before dawn, he was up sharpening his daggers and going over a mental checklist of the traps they had encountered in the previous tombs. He wanted to be ready for anything. He secreted the daggers in their various hiding places about his body and settled his gear in his pack as he prepared to leave.
Omen watches the proceedings and the bestowment of the map and token imperiously, encouraged by events and their support of his purpose. Later, as Brennan expresses caution, he agrees. "Indeed, Brennan, you are wise to advise such thoughtfulness."
After going back over their spoils, Brennan found he had enough after all and made his way to the armorers. with some negotiation, and a brutal, but swift argument about some minor damage to his leather armor, Brennan handed over almost all of his newly gained wealth and his black leather armor for a fine shirt of mithril chain. The links slithered over his shirt like water, resting perfectly against his chest and falling to just below his waist. Perfect.
Surubi follows along with the group as they make their purchases, looking fruitlessly for any signs or indications of whom the ring belongs to--even bothering some strangers as they go. She sticks with the group for the night and is ready to go in first thing in the morning, about an hour before dawn.
"Hey, wake up everyone. We should get going and be AT the gates before they open so that the religious people and Sigrun don't ambush us inside or something."
"They may try anyway, Surubi, but there is wisdom in your words regardless. Let us be on our way."
Surubi finds that her search among the locals within the market prove more fruitful than the poring over the archives for a solitary name. The people that know the name direct her to a woman in her mid twenties, still dressed in the accoutrements of a widow. Upon the presentation of the ring, the woman breaks down into tears, before explaining that her husband had vanished less than a year ago. She had warned him to stay out of the Necropolis, and that Pharasma would punish him for his transgression. She once again thanks Surubi for bringing her the ring, and allowing her to know his fate. She presents Surubi with a hefty bag of coin for her troubles.
-----------------------------------------
The morning begins as most of the others have since access to the Necropolis has been granted. Where the past few days have been over a hundred degrees, this morning is colder whereas the winds have picked up even more. The sand whipping through the air could very well be what makes the temperature feel lower.
The gates open once more upon the monument that is Pharasma's Needle, as the groups rush into the open space, some much more wearily than when the gates first opened about a week ago.
Using the map issued alongside the token for your assigned location, you make your way through the biting sands toward your goal.
Omen walks along at the rear of the group, his hands clasped imperiously behind his back.
The wind blew dust and grit into everyone's eyes, and even through his headscarf, Brennan could barely see the road ahead of them. He tried to exude his normal air of dangerous certainty, but with the jostling of the crowd of would-be explorers, it was hard to keep together with his team. At least Surubi was back from her personal errand and was leading the way with him.
"Come out and identify yourself, you have been seen and we know who you are." Chephren says as he points in the direction of the hiding creature.
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Current Effects: ;
Surubi surreptitiously draws her longbow as she peers at one of the buildings ahead.
The sun beats down on the lonely, silent streets of the necropolis. Dust and sand now cover the once-bustling streets, and buildings that were once homes and shops are gradually disintegrating into rubble after centuries of neglect. Scattered throughout the ruins is the occasional palm tree or shrub, kept alive by the broken remnants of a long-abandoned irrigation system.
Among the ruins Chephren spots someone around the corner of a building, and calls out to him, but the man doesn't look like he intends to comply. Surubi's keen eye picks out three others sitting in wait, two of which are crouched on the ruined rooftops fifteen feet above the street level.
Surubi dives for cover as what she believes to be an ambush begins.
Chephren, expecting trouble from anyone that would be hiding among ruins in the Necropolis, prepares to enhance his allies with a prayer.
Surubi takes a more active approach in preparation, dashing quickly for cover behind a portion of one of the nearby ruined buildings.
That's when more men pop out of the destroyed structures, now fully in view of the others as the move about or fire upon the group. As expected, their hostility is what Chephren thought would happen, and as such he releases his prepared spell.
Three men step out from their cover with the longbows drawn and aimed at the group, and a fourth fires at Brennan from a distant rooftop. The group spots him after his arrow just glancing off the sleeve of Brennan's new armor, barely missing flesh.
The man on the nearby rooftop moves closer to the group, and leaning slightly over the edge, tosses down a heavy net onto Chephren. The heavy bundled net opens up, and catches too much wind, brushing just to the side of Chephren and leaving him unburdened by it.
Chephren looks up at the thug that attempted to catch him in a net, then quickly brings up his hands as if he was a beast ready to spring.
Bugga, Bugga, Bugga!!!
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Current Effects: bless, 3 min, all allies;
Omen frowns behind his mask, the gesture obvious just in the tone of his voice. "Insolent dogs! You would dare!" He then reaches one hand out toward the thug who just threw the net at Chephren and a small, inky tear appears in the air above him. A moment later and a column of void stuff spills down over him. As the motes fall, Omen pulls his crossbow free and begins to ready it.
HP: 16/16
AC: 12 (11 T / 11 FF)
CMD: 10
F/R/W: +3/+2/+5 (+2 vs death effects)
Resist 7: acid, cold, fire, electricity
Omens used (swift demoralize): 0/1
Black Motes used: 1/8
Shield charges remaining: 15
Spell Slots Used
Level 1: 0/7
Ongoing Effects
Brennan hesitated just a moment, then moved quickly over to where Surubi stood, letting daggers fall into each of his hands as he moved. With a flashing motion, he drew back and loosed the blade in his right hand, sending it up and towards the nearest opponent.
Surubi takes another step back, aims carefully at his exposed flesh, and looses two arrows at the man just above her.
;
;
Surubi steps out from the edge of the ruined building, giving herself a nice clear shot of the man above. Drawing an arrow, she fires with a quick and reckless shot, followed soon after by a second similar one. The arrows both find purchase in the man's abdomen, the second one driving deep into his innards, as he falls with a thump to the rooftop.
Omen and Brennan's intended attacks are stymied by Surubi's sudden dispatch of the man on the rooftop. They shift focus to holding out until a new threat gets close enough to be a threat.
Chephren moves up to the well, looks up at the remaining bowman, then quickly brings up his hands as if he was a beast ready to spring.
Bugga, Bugga, Bugga!!!
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Current Effects: bless, 3 min, all allies;
As the others wait for the enemy to close before striking out, Chephren moves up to try and spook at least one of them away. The spell easily takes hold on the weak mind of the thug, and a look of terror crosses his face.
The other men, not spooked by Chephren, take aim with their bows and fire on members of the group. The one to the west tries to draw a beam between the two buildings to hit where he spies Brennan, but his shot hits the wall of his building before even making it past. Two of the others fire at Chephren, standing exposed by the well, their shots weak and poorly aimed. The two on the ground take cover behind the nearby buildings, as the frightened runs off down the ruined alleyway.
The one on the roof can make no move beyond lying in his own blood, but the wind-blown sand from his perch does a decent job of staunching the flow.
"This one will try for the one on the roof over there!" Surubi hissed quietly at Brennan. She steps forward, still taking cover behind the corner, and looses two arrows at the rooftop archer.
;
;
Surubi's shots, from around the corner, fly toward the man she sees standing on another nearby roof. The wind gusts, and pushes against the two projectiles, veering them both wildly off of their target.
The man seems unfazed by her action, standing still in his spot atop the roof. He remains unmoved, as well as unseen by the rest of the party.
Omen shuffles slightly to his left as he loads his fine crossbow, then pulls it up to his shoulder at takes aim at a distant ambusher on a crumbling roof. "You will regret this affront, dogs."
HP: 16/16
AC: 12 (11 T / 11 FF)
CMD: 10
F/R/W: +3/+2/+5 (+2 vs death effects)
Resist 7: acid, cold, fire, electricity
Omens used (swift demoralize): 0/1
Black Motes used: 0/8
Shield charges remaining: 15
Spell Slots Used
Level 1: 0/7
Ongoing Effects
Brennan, not seeing any immediate target, moved quickly around the side of the building nearest, paralleling Chephran's movements, and stepping carefully around the rubble.
Chephren keeps moving in the direction of three thugs to his SE, flail and shield at the ready in an obvious display that he will not be intimidated by some ruffians.
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Current Effects: bless, 3 min, all allies;
Taking aim off into the distance at the man exposed on the rooftop, Omen loads and fires his crossbow, but between the distance, wind, and a misjudgement in elevation, the bolt only clatters off the side of the building.
Both Brennan and Chephren work instead on closing the distance between themselves and the enemy. Where Brennan chooses a more discreet and circuitous route, Chephren heads straight on toward the enemy.
Sticking to their initial tactics, some of the men pop out again to try and take pot-shots at the group. From around the corner he just hid, the northernmost thug fires at Omen, his only clear target. The shot is clean, and seems almost pushed by the wind as it drives hard and deep into Omen's left thigh.
Just as Chephren rushes up and clears the corner of the building, the thug around the corner fires his bow at him. His shot also makes up for the previous failed attempt, leaving a long gash across the width of his right forearm. He then steps out from the alcove he's trapped in, to move around the back of the building.
The one spooked by Chephren's spell cuts a course to take him further away from the frightening priest, running roughshod through the ruins. From the rooftop, the remaining thug keeps his focus on Chephren, disregarding Omen and his non-threatening shot. He takes aim from the rooftop, down at the oncoming man. He has a clear shot, but from the angle is only able to draw blood across the back of Chephren's left shoulder.
From the roof Surubi had shot at, another man moves up to the edge. Though he has a net in hand, like the first one that attacked Chephren, he instead lobs the heavy bag he was holding in his other hand. The thing just barely misses Chephren, as he twists away at just the right time. The heavy bag plops on the ground with a loud splat, as it bursts open to release a mass of sticky goo that soon hardens in place.
Chephren keep closing the distance with the thugs and casts a spell of shielding from Anubis.
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Current Effects: bless, 3 min, all allies; shield of faith, 3 min, self;
Surubi dashes out from behind her cover, runs to the well where she takes another shot at the man on the roof, then she ducks down behind it for cover.
;
Gasping in pain, Omen staggers forward, taking some modicum of shelter behind the fountain as he pulls a wand from his ornate robe. Releasing some of its magics over himself, a translucent disc of yellow-gold appears before him bearing the stylized image of roaring leopard.
HP: 8/16
AC: 16 (11 T / 15 FF)
CMD: 10
F/R/W: +3/+2/+5 (+2 vs death effects)
Resist 7: acid, cold, fire, electricity
Omens used (swift demoralize): 0/1
Black Motes used: 0/8
Shield charges remaining: 14
Spell Slots Used
Level 1: 0/7
Ongoing Effects
shield (1/10 rds): +4 AC
Brennan cut through a ruined building, using the walls as cover as he planned on how to best handle the archers on the rooftops. Seeing Surubi's arrow bury itself in the belly of the one, he changed his mind and decided to leave those to the archer while he helped Chrphren handle the ones on the ground.