Seherab stays silent for a moment studying the mosaic a bit more closely, clearly picking up on some hints that Hogan did not notice. "Indeed, but it was not originally so. It looks to me like this place was once dedicated to the Ancient Osirian deities Maat and Thoth, the goddess of celestial order and truth and god of the moon and wisdom, respectively."
"Although you are not entirely wrong, Stonebrother; there are some later historical ties to this place and the Church of Pharasma and clearly that is what it was most recently. You see, astronomers once studied the heavens here, tracking the movements of celestial bodies and supplying Wati’s various mapmakers and travelers with accurate measurements and predictions. But then it was abandoned after the Plague of Madness and the observatory lay undisturbed for centuries. When the Pharasmin priest Nefru Shepses arrived in Wati and created the necropolis many years ago, he set aside the observatory as a resting place for loyal civil servants, but also enlisted the aid of elementals and psychopomps to secretly construct a tomb complex for his own family below."
"In fact, we might look around a bit and try to find these tombs, although I worry that they too will have been turned into undead."
Seherab searches around a bit more and comes out with his arms full of star charts. "This must have been where the Dark Folk were stealing their charts from."
Ankhef listens carefully to his clanmate's explanation.
"We should secure these maps at least. It wouldn't surprise me if a compass was once at this location but there doesn't seem to be one now... Where to next?"
Just before his death, an astronomer and wizard named Menket Maatya arranged for a basement in the necropolis to be converted into a comfortable tomb for his remains. Later, the Pharasmins placed one of their elegiac compasses in the sepulcher. Months ago, the Silver Chain looted the tomb of its valuables, including the elegiac compass, leaving only a stripped bronze and stone frame. Now the basement tomb stands empty save for a simple wooden sarcophagus holding Menket’s mummified body.
The astronomer had the foresight to have a permanent sanctify corpse spell cast upon him after his death, so his mummy was unaffected by the ka pulse. Although the walls of the tomb are painted with detailed starscapes, there are no physical star charts matching the scrap the you acquired from the dark folk.
The Silver Chain missed one item of value when they looted Menket’s tomb: a game of fortunate passing, a magical version of a popular Osirian board game called senet.
popular Osirian board game called senet, a game which has been played since the earliest days of Osirion’s First Age. Ten pawns (two sets of five) carved from petrified wood are stored within the box. The top of the box serves as the game board, with three rows of 10 squares each. Two characters can play the game against each other, or a single character can play against the game itself, which animates to play against its opponent.
While a mundane senet game emulates the journey into the afterlife, a game of fortunate passing exerts genuine influence over a player’s fate—it’s said that a winner the protection and favor of the gods of Ancient Osirion. A game of senet takes 30 minutes to play. At the end of this time, the players make opposed Intelligence checks; whoever wins the check wins the game. If playing against the game itself, the game has an effective Intelligence bonus of +4.
Winning a game of senet with the game of fortunate passing (either against another player or the game itself) charges one of the game’s pawns with magic. For the next 24 hours, the winner gains a +2 luck bonus on skill checks and saving throws against fear and death effects. Once used, a pawn loses all magic, becoming a normal playing piece. A game of fortunate passing has 10 pawns; once all 10 pawns have been used, the item becomes a mundane senet game set.
Dwizzle frowns as the group investigates yet another open location but fails to turn up a second working compass.
Dwizzle thinks that it might be possible to track down the new owner of the pieces, but it might take a bit more knowledge of Wati.
Ankhef speaks "I guess back to the only partially swarming with undead half of town. I've got enough friends back there I might be able to track down their contacts."
Seherab shrugs. "We might spend a lot of time trying to track it down. Instead we could just start going through the line systematically looking for the source. We've already been to Vizier's Hill but it wouldn't hurt to comb over it again, then we can double-check the Shiny Bauble and the Observatory of Truth and Wisdom."
"I agree brother." Hogan nods to Seherab.
"Probably a better idea, who knows how many times it may have changed hands already." Ankhef nods in agreement.
The group decides to forgo searching for the owners of the elegaic compass parts and decides to just search along the line from the sole remaining compass. After spending about a week, the group fights ghouls, ghasts and mummies, barely escaping with their lives against the third, but easily destroying the first two.
Finally, they come back to the Observatory of Truth and Wisdom, the only place left to research. The group thinks that this location must have a secret that they missed the first time and they actually find the entrance to the Tomb of the Pharaoh in the center of the circle.
The door in the center of the mosaic is locked magically and a simple use of tools won't help. Perhaps, you need to find a "key" or a secret phrase to open the door. Though it is a door, so brute force can likely still destroy the door, given enough time.
Ankhef asks "Any ideas beyond brute force?"
"Unless you want to come back to it later when we find a key... but we are really losing a lot of time here and the undead problem isn't getting any better."
Hogan draws his hammer. "Brute force works for me."
Ankhef bows slightly and steps back for Hogan.
Hogan just begins smashing the door with his hammer until it gives up.
Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! Ka-thunk! KA-THUNK! KA-THUNK!
Hogan hammers at the center of the observatory, in the place indicated by Seherab, and the bits of mosaic chip away with each slam. A few hits in, cracks begin to spiderweb across the floor as Hogan becomes more forceful with his strikes.
With a huge swing, the center piece cracks in half and plummets into the darkness below, which everyone can see due to darkvision. It looks like there is a platform about 60' down.
This makes Seherab a bit intrigued and he peeks his head through the hole and looks at the undercarriage of the floor.
"If we used the key, a spiral staircase would probably descend from the floor. As it is, I think we need to make our own way down. Tie off the ropes and anchor them, then let's get going. Put up some lights and be ready for anything."
Teos suddenly remembers the scrap of paper and proffers the start charts to Honored Seherab. Maybe words hidden in wise man writing he guesses. Unburdened by hesitation or doubt, however, he immediately returns his attention to securing ropes and descending, slow falling the last twenty feet.
Hogan will hold the rope while the others climb down before attempting to climb down himself.
Ankhef climbs down the rope while Hogan guards.
Dwizzle swallows hard as he looks at the drop, but nonetheless follows in Ankhef's stead down the rope, praying as he does so.
As the dwarves climb down they find that the rope terminates in a vaulted chamber. Looming jackal-headed statuary, oversized pillars, and a long reflecting pool lend a grandiose scale to the room.
The sepulcher’s entryway is meant to inspire a sense of awe, invoking the sacred halls of judgment all mortal beings shuffle towards. Hieroglyphs cover the walls, describing the Shepses family’s history and the life of Nefru Shepses—his divine inspiration to join Pharasma’s faith, the creation of the necropolis, and his restoration of Wati.
Four sets of double doors lead to the north.
Left door? the monk quickly signs while looking at the others?
Ankhef shrugs and nods.
Ankhef readjusts his grip on his spear and waits for Teos or Hogan to answer the door.
Teos, finding no protest to oppose his choice, opens the left door.
The group moves to the left door and find it untrapped. Teos opens the door and finds that their choice was moot. Each set of doors led to the same room. The arched ceiling of this chamber towers overhead, rising to a height of sixty feet above the tiled floor. Hundreds of small alcoves cover the walls, hidden behind neglected silk curtains in blue and gold. A small altar sits in the center, caked in unsightly stains. A heavy scent of camphor and pitch hang in the air.
A large silver seal depicting a phoenix spiraling around its own tail is inset into the top of the altar, but the seal is blackened and appears half-melted. Seherab recognizes this as the seal of the Shepses
family.
Thirty zombies are chained to the walls with improvised shackles, but a dozen uncontrolled zombies roam the room freely and they see the fresh meat that has just wandered into their giant room.
"BRAAAAAAAAAINS!" they bellow as they begin to shuffle towards you.
Initiative:
+2 while Underground.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Medium Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, Pink, Black, White, No Border)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef
"Damn, that's a lot of undead." Seherab notes as he takes out his magical dagger and moves forward to hack at the first zombie.
Seherab lashes out at the closest zombie, but his dagger chinks off of the hardened skin of the creature. The dwarf thinks that his skill is to blame and realizes that Hogan will have little trouble cleaving the undead.
That being said, the zombies prove to be quick and begin to shuffle towards the group.
The zombies gang up on the frontline dwarf, trying to bite down on the exposed flesh of Seherab.
Three of the zombies are able to bite through Seherab's clothes, digging their teeth in and possibly infecting him with their disease.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue, Medium Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, Pink, Black, White, No Border)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef
Status
Seherab @ 5/34 HP
Pending
Seherab - Three Fortitude Saves against Disease
"Let me see if I can even this up a bit."
Ankhef will attempt to command undead.
Ankhef will also step to the side and comment "I think we should all be on our side of the door right now."
Dwizzle steps up and thrusts his spear past Hogan, working to distract the lead zombie.
"Get out of there!" Hogan yells worried for his dwarven brother's safety as he smashes red.
Teos heeds wise Seherab's advice, striking twice at the nearest zombie before stepping aside to let honored Seherab through.
Teos lashes out at Red and utterly destroys the creature with his focused punch, however Hogan is left with nothing to attack and holds off.
Dwizzle waves his spear around as Ankhef tries to control some of the zombies, but he only has line of sight to six of them, so he relies on hope.
He ensnares the first two of the zombies that the wave of energy washes over.
Seherab stumbles as he retreats from the area as he withdraws from his bold entrance, however the horde of zombies is unmoved and inexorably closes in. "BRAAAAAAAAAAINS!"
As the zombies begin to try and bite everything in sight, you hear noises coming from the shaft leading upwards as the staircase that Hogan destroyed the center of begins to lower, completing its descent in under a few seconds. This is probably not good.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Green, Yellow, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Purple, Pink, Black, White, No Border)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef + 2 Zombies (Pink)
Status
Seherab @ 5/34 HP
Dwizzle @ 33/53 HP
Ankhef @ 34/43 HP
Pending
Seherab - Three Fortitude Saves against Disease
Dwizzle - Two Fortitude Saves against Disease
Ankhef - One Fortitude Save against Disease
"Someone is coming down here. We need to end this now, brothers." Hogan takes another swing at purple.
Ankhef mimes a hugging motion and commands his zombies to grab the other zombies.
Anhkef steps back and causes a flash of light to overwhelm some of the zombies.
The zombies under Ankhef's control lash out against their previous comrades, but they do so perilously as the zombies being grabbed at retaliate by sinking their teeth into the offenders.
The two bites seem to throw the creatures off kilter and they can't seem to grab any of the zombies, but Hogan takes a wild swing with his hammer, smashing into the purplish one, but it does a bit less than he expected.
His follow up swing gets caught up in the melee and he has no power behind it, letting it glance off the creature.
Ankhef, determined to destroy some undead, blast the area with holy energy.
---
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Orange-Blinded (0/2) @ 10, Yellow-Blinded (0/2) @ 10, Green, Light Blue-Dazzled (0/2) @ 10, Dark Blue, Purple @ 12, Black, White, No Border-Dazzled (0/2) @ 10)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef + 2 Zombies (Pink #1 @ 9 / #2 @ 9)
Status
Seherab @ 5/34 HP
Dwizzle @ 33/53 HP
Ankhef* @ 34/43 HP
Pending
Seherab - Three Fortitude Saves against Disease
Dwizzle - Two Fortitude Saves against Disease
Seherab finds himself severely wounded and surrounded by zombies. Clearly bravado and bravely charging forward is not the specialty of the party scholar.
Back safe from the zombies, Seherab quickly drinks one of the healing potions he mixed up that morning.
Dwizzle scoffs as he's injured, calling out the obvious.
"Augh! There's attacking me!"
Realizing they need to bring down a lot of zombies quickly, Dwizzle switches to the offensive.
"RA-TOR! HEAR MY WORDS AND BLAST DOWN THESE WALKERS!"
Seherab heals himself as Dwizzle decides to launch onto the offensive and sends out a blast of pure energy to wash away the evil of the zombies.
The blast has mixed results, but most seem to overcome the holiness of Dwizzle's aura, much to his dismay.
Teos, lashing out with two fists, connects with a single hit and the recipient, the purplish zombie, disintegrates on the spot.
EDIT:
Ankhef is bitten twice as the usually impenetrable Hogan and Teos both feel the sting of teeth wrenching into their flesh.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Orange-Blinded (0/2) @ 12, Yellow-Blinded (0/2) @ 12, Green @ 5, Light Blue-Dazzled (0/2) @ 12, Dark Blue @ 2, Black @ 2, White @ 5, No Border-Dazzled (0/2) @ 12)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef + 2 Zombies (Pink #1 @ 11 / #2 @ 14)
Status
Seherab* @ 21/34 HP
Dwizzle @ 33/53 HP
Ankhef* @ 15/43 HP
Hogan @ 48/59 HP
Teos @ 36/48 HP
Pending
Teos/Hogan - One Fortitude Save against Disease
Feeling a little bit better, Seherab switches his focus to a new zombie and moves in to assist Ankhef.
Hogan tries to shrug off the disease and strikes out at the dark blue zombie being flanked by him and Teos.
The grapple plan not working Ankhef commands his zombies to bite.
Ankhef steps away from the scrum ans swaps to the Watchful Guardian spear and stabs yellow.
"Hrmph... I suppose He didn't hear me."
"RA-TOR! IT'S TIME! SMITE THINE FOES!"
Hogan, true to his training, sends another undead back to the grave with a single swing as Dwizzle sends out another blast of energy, while Ankhef and Seherab stab at a zombie but miss.
As Ankhef's second zombie would land a ferocious strike, it is disintegrated by the pulse, though his first zombie remains standing, but tries to gnaw uselessly on his previous comrade's arm.
Teos launches his attack as he tries to overcome the disease in his system.
With two strikes, Teos dispatches two more of the zombies as the horde continues to attack inexoarbly as they lunge for the closest tasty morsels.
Nearly crippled by the onslaught, Dwizzle is ferociously bitten repeatedly and is nearly ripped to shreds by the zombies, however as one is about to rip out his heart, its teeth catch on Dwizzle holy symbol, saving his life.
Initiative:
1st: Seherab
2nd: Zombies (Green @ 12, Light Blue-Dazzled (1/2) @ 19, Black @ 5, White @ 8, No Border-Dazzled (1/2) @ 15)
3rd: Teos; Dwizzle; Hogan
4th: ???
5th: Ankhef + 2 Zombies (Pink #1 @ 18)
Status
Seherab* @ 21/34 HP
Dwizzle @ 2/53 HP
Ankhef* @ 15/43 HP
Hogan @ 48/59 HP
Teos* @ 36/48 HP
Pending
Dwizzle-Three Fortitude Saves
Hogan smashes his hammer into one of the zombies attacking Dwizzle. The gnome was odd, even a bit annoying at times, but he didn't deserved to be eaten by zombies.
Dwizzle, wheezing from the assault, gestures to the zombie most harrying his, uh, "strategic repositioning".
Then, holding his newly severed flesh close to prevent further loss of blood, Dwizzle makes a hasty retreat, circling around the party.