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"Another mind game - interesting. If the third man was at the back, then he could see that his fellow countrymen wore a white hat and a black hat, though we cannot be sure which one is wearing which at this stage. He fails to answer because he knows that with that layout, he cannot know for sure which color is his own hat - the king told him there was at least one of each."
"The second man understands this, clever boy that he is. He can see the color of the hat in front of him, which must be black, and thus understands that his own hat is white. Am I correct, wise Sekhmanu?"
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Terrill gives Desmond an appreciative wink as the ranger gives Dragorin a hard time, but his expression turns more serious as he ponders the third riddle. He's approaching an answer, though he's by no means sure it's the right one, when Basalte speaks.
Terrill's eyes open wide at Basalte's powers of deduction, and he says quietly, "Clever boy indeed! Well done!"
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Hal turns to look as Desmond takes an anxious breath. "Relax, Deadmond, Basalte is correct. The second man is at first unable to know the color of his hat, seeing only the black hat to his front. But, after the third man is also unable to know, seeing one hat of each color to his front, the second man is able to deduce that his own must be white." The ranger nods in Basalte's direction. "Well answered."
"Well met, man of Osirion. You have done your people a service that won't be forgotten. Present to me these items you wish me to examine." Sekhmanu implores of Basalte.
As the oread approaches with the items, the sphinx looks at them carefully. "I shall begin to ritual now." She perches next to the items and begins to look deeply at the falchion. He eyes glaze over as beams of light shoot from them to envelop the items one at a time. The sphinx's mouth slowly chants guttural sounds as the items levitate and twirl.
Sekhmanu’s chant abruptly ends as the sphinx recoils with a flurry of her wings. Even as she withdraws, an eldritch mist seeps from the items laid before her. “What trick is this?” the sphinx demands, “These artifacts carry faithless spirits within... godless creatures who should have journeyed to the Boneyard long ago!” No sooner has she spoken these words than the pillars of mist coalesce into translucent images of three young women garbed in the raiment of Osirian concubines. Each one bears a distinctive ring upon her hand which glows with an angry red radiance.
"Who has called us forth, the concubines of Zuberi?" echo the voices in unison.
The sphinx hisses at the spirits, much like a cat before retreating a few feet.
"Our bodies lie close to here. In the tombs to the south. We can guide you there if you promise to help us." the spirits ask as Terrill investigates their alignment.
Terrill sees that these creatures don't have an alignment.
"Zuberi must die by our hand for us to find rest. We’ll help you if you agree to let us possess your bodies and act through you when you face him." speaks the ghost trio.
As if they anticipate your next question, they speak once more. "You must perform a simple ritual while holding one of our items. Akila can show you. But it will only work once for each of us. That’s because a connection still exists between our spirits and our bodies. We are torn between two places and can only exist here and help you for a short time. You will not lose control during this possession, but we will be able to aid you more directly."
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Terrill has had many odd, frightening experiences in his career in the Society, though none so daunting as what these spirits propose. Still, he knows their task is good and worthwhile, and he consents to it as well. "If it will free your spirits and allow you to make your next journey, then I will help as well."
"Is there anything we can say to assure you that it will happen? You can choose either accept our word or not, but possession is the only way to allow us to move on from this world." the spirits state.
As you head towards Zuberi, after being shown how to activate the powers of the concubines, you are told the story of Zuberi:
"In 4305 AR, Cheliax initiated a series of imperial conquests which eventually became known as the Everwar. At the same time, an enterprising Osirian named Khalfani Zuberi, who’d made his money buying and selling everything from slaves to weapons for Osirion’s conquerors (the Qadiri), decided the Everwar presented yet another opportunity to expand his wealth. He gave his three most trusted concubines rings which magically fused to their fingers, allowing him to track their status and general direction even as he sent them to three separate locations across the new Chelish frontier so they could manipulate the Everwar’s markets to his advantage. Their untold success brought Zuberi unimaginable wealth, which he put to use finding ways to extend his life and perpetuate his mercantile empire.
In 4307 AR, Zuberi drank his first sun orchid elixir, a life-giving potion which the nation of Thuvia sells only a few of each year to the highest bidder—a position virtually assured by Zuberi’s riches. This renewed his life even as he continued to expand his holdings.
In 4350 AR, however, Zuberi met an ill fate on the road to Thuvia to get another sun orchid elixir. A cleric of an Osirian death cult and his hired thugs assaulted Zuberi’s caravan and murdered his servants, slaves, and soldiers. They left Zuberi alive and laid a terrible curse upon him. With its completion, Zuberi felt the power of his concubines’ rings wink out, his connection to them severed. In his horror, he never realized the severed connection also caused their immediate and untimely deaths. Instead, concerned only for himself, Zuberi felt his own limbs grow tired, his bones become brittle, and his muscles go weak. In essence, the weight of his true age took hold again. The cleric of the death cult then justified his curse to Zuberi, blaming his obsession with living—a heresy to most Osirians. And, since Zuberi wanted life so badly, the priest decided he could have it—forever. But Zuberi would never again be able to drink the youth-giving sun orchid elixir—instead, he’d spend eternity as an old man.
When Zuberi fully understood the limitations of the curse imposed on him by the Followers of Almaut, he despaired he would live out the rest of his days as an invalid, unable to defend against the many enemies he’d made over the years. Feeble and afraid, he collapsed his empire inward so he could commission a large tomb in the Necropolis of the Faithful to hide and protect himself. Then, he spread word he didn’t expect to live much longer and faked his own death, retreating into the safety of the hidden tomb."
As you approach the Necropolis of the Faithful, you see the pyramids cresting over the horizon. Meskhenet the Wise leads you to the false tomb. Alabaster steps ascend an elevated platform under the shade of a solid stone roof supported by eight thick columns, each one carved in the likeness of a bearded Osirian councilor. Along the far wall, three sets of golden double-doors await, each inscribed with intricate hieroglyphs; its proclamation as the final resting place of Sahib ul-Makam al-Rafi Khalfani Zuberi. The honorific Sahib ul-Makam al-Rafi simply means “Holder of the Eminent Position,” an ostentatious title Zuberi used to refer to himself at the height of his power. The doors remain unlocked and open to reveal sloped passageways descending into the tomb.
You take the passageways into the tomb and find a large 35-foot-square chamber. Four decorative clay urns stand beside each entrance along the north wall. To the west, an alabaster throne inlaid with gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian stones sits upon a raised dais flanked by two bronze braziers. The throne overlooks a miniature model of buildings and structures in the center of the room, portraying the city of Sothis. To the south, two statues with the heads of jackals stand with stone glaives in their hands by a huge stone door engraved with the symbol of an all-seeing eye. Hieroglyphs also cover the entire eastern wall, reaching all the way to the chamber’s 20-foot ceiling. The images depict scenes of everyday life in ancient Osirion.
To the south, ostentatious archways provide entrance to the false tomb. This 25-foot-square chamber contains a large sarcophagus lying on a raised dais of granite. Its surface includes tracings of gold, carnelian, and black onyx. Four green urns with wax seals rest in each corner.
Flinders, searching the antechamber, discovers three passageways on the eastern wall. Each passageway is a short 20' hallway that meets another door.
You enter the hallway and move through the corridor to the door. Your hand turns the door knob and suddenly you hear the entire corridor shift and move. Bricks move and platforms shift. Suddenly the door drops away and you see a passageway that turns a corner in front of you.
This winding, downward slope enters a 15-foot-by-30-foot hall. To the west, two lines of upright sarcophagi face one another along the north and south walls. To the east lies a diamond-shaped table of black basalt, bearing six ornate masks of gold decorated with semiprecious stones.
Another secret door can be found on the far wall, luckily Flinders has a keen eye for such things. This leads to a 50-foot-long corridor that contains several dark alcoves. On the floor between them lie six black-garbed figures, surrounded by scattered weapons and a pool of blood.
As Dragorin and Deadmond approach the corpses, they see nine sarcophagi: four on each side and one at the end of the hallway. As they approach, six of the sarcophagi lids wrench open and creatures wrapped in bandages stumble out towards the Pathfinders.
Initiative:
(+4 Urban, +2 Underground)
Initiative:
1st: Halbarad; Terrill; Flinders
2nd: Mummies (Red; Orange; Yellow; Green; Blue; Purple)
3rd: Basalte; Faraz; Deadmond; Dragorin
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As he often does in such situations, Terrill calls on Desna to protect him, then strides forward to face the creatures that have surrounded Desmond and Dragorin. As he approaches, he tries to place them and recall any weaknesses they might have, but he draws a blank. Nonetheless, he attacks the first one he reaches.
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"Huh-wha?"
Deadmond's words are stopped short as he is paralyzed by the mummies.
Don't seem right
I've been strung out here all night
I've been waiting for the taste
You said you'd bring to me
Biscayne Bay
Where the Cuban gentlemen sleep all day
I went searching for the song
You used to sing to me
Katy lies
You could see it in her eyes
But imagine my surprise
When I saw you...
Flinders frees Basalte and Faraz from their fearful state as Terrill tries to strike down one of the creatures. His blade bounces off the surprisingly hard bandages of the mummy.
Initiative:
1st: Halbarad; Terrill; Flinders
2nd: Mummies (Red; Orange; Yellow; Green; Blue; Purple)
3rd: Basalte; Faraz; Deadmond - Paralyzed 4 rounds; Dragorin
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Well, the old man was a stranger
But Id have heard his song before
Back when failure had me locked out
On the wrong side of the door
No one stood behind me
But my shadow on the floor
And lonesome was more than a state of mind
You see the Devil haunts a hungry man
And if you dont wanna join him
Well, hes gotta figure out someway to beat him...
Halbarad buffs up as Dragorin freezes in place, cringing at the sight of the mummies.
The creatures filter into the hallway and lash out at the intruders. The mummy's seem to lash out more violently at the cringing cleric and ranger, while the other one seems puzzled by Terrill's willpower.
The paralyzed forms of Dragorin and Deadmond take two slams to the chest and face, breathing in the noxious dust on the mummies as Terrill catches a brutal headbutt from the remaining mummy.
Initiative:
1st: Halbarad; Terrill; Flinders
2nd: Mummies (Red; Orange; Yellow; Green; Blue; Purple)
3rd: Basalte; Faraz; Deadmond - Paralyzed 3 rounds; Dragorin - Paralyzed 2 rounds