DM-Camris' MUMMY'S MASK Part 1: The Half-Dead City (Inactive)

Game Master Camris

SECTION 3: The Sanctum of the Erudite Eye
The PCs explore an abandoned temple, but rival adventurers contest their claim to the secrets of the ancient tomb.
Map of the above ground explored areas so far.


Rules for the Necropolis:

Remember How This Came to Pass: The Plague of
Madness was unleashed upon the city of Wati while
religious authorities were engaged in infighting. This rule
is a reminder that the necropolis remains a holy place, and
those who engage in needless conflict and banditry are not
only criminals, but accursed.

Every Slave’s Hut Is a Memorial: Every structure within
the necropolis is a testament to the people who lived and
died in the city. Explorers must not desecrate or vandalize
standing structures and tombs, but preserve them as the
memorials they were intended to be. Some structures
may be trapped or decrepit, but willful and unnecessary
destruction will not be tolerated.

Honor the Departed: The dead should be treated with
dignity and respect. If the interred need to be disturbed
to recover an antiquity or relic, they should be returned
to their resting places carefully. It is understood that the
ancient dead are often brittle, but there is no need for
the contents of a sarcophagus to be summarily dumped
on the ground. This rule does not apply to the undead or
other abominations.

Failure to comply with these rules can result in, but
is not limited to, expulsion from the necropolis, a ban
on continued exploration, seizure of recovered valuables,
and arrest and prosecution by local authorities.

--- RIVAL GROUPS in gameplay ---:

Cryptfinders: A cosmopolitan group with members from all corners of the Inner Sea.
Pertinent Information: They like skilled people and were somewhat serious about their archaeology.

Daughters of the Desert: An all-female adventuring party following the lead of Sigrun Firehair, a redheaded Ulfen woman from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings far to the north, although the other members are from this continent of Garund.
Pertinent information: They're friendly.

Scorched Hand: Devout followers of Nethys dedicated to the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge, led by a Taldan noblewoman.
Pertinent Information: This group may be a BIG problem later. They're fanatics who're upset with the sites they got handed and who may not play nice with others. They want to find a temple of Nethys.

Dog Soldiers: Composed entirely of halflings and their fighting dogs.
Pertinent Information: Their dogs smell disgusting, but they're friendly enough.

Four Lanterns: Loud, arrogant and cocksure, a very self-confident group from the nation of Andoran.
Pertinent Information: They're jerks, but have a well-balanced group.

Sand Scorpions: Keep mostly to themselves, quiet and secretive. You can get the least information out of them, but their leader is a mysterious woman called Black Kiss.
Pertinent Information: This group are mainly asses who possess little in the way of real secrets.

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TABLET OF LANGUAGES LOST:

PRICE 1,980 GP
SLOT none CL 3rd WEIGHT 30 lbs.
AURA faint divination
Fashioned from granite, this stone tablet is approximately
2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and just over an inch thick.
Dating to the period of the Keleshite Interregnum in Osirion over 2,000 years ago, the tablet was once part of a larger stone stele that was publicly displayed for all to see.
Now known as the tablet of languages lost, the broken slab is inscribed with a vow of fealty to the Padishah Emperor of Kelesh in three different languages: Ancient Osiriani, Kelish, and contemporary Osiriani.
The characters and hieroglyphs of the three languages correspond to one another and serve as a translation key between the languages.
Once per day, upon speaking the command word, the owner of the tablet can read and understand any written texts as if using comprehend languages for a period of 30 minutes.
This does not allow the owner to speak or write unknown languages, or read magical writings (though the tablet reveals that such texts are magical).
In addition, if the tablet is readily available and at hand, the owner gains a +3 competence bonus on all Linguistics checks. Finally, if the owner knows at least one of the three languages inscribed on the tablet, he can attempt Linguistics checks to translate the other two languages even if untrained in the Linguistics skill.
Possession of the tablet of languages lost serves as an acceptable rationale for the owner to learn one of the three languages inscribed upon it (by putting a rank in Linguistics during character advancement) without the need of a teacher or library.
Although the tablet of languages lost was created to ease the transition of native Osirians from pharaonic rule to that of a foreign monarch, other tablets could exist bearing different messages in other languages.
CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS COST 990 GP
Craft Wondrous Item, comprehend languages, creator must
know all three languages displayed on the tablet or have
3 ranks in Linguistics