Stelle tries to guide Kosei's thoughts on Khenpathes, but nothing new is learned. The person is a mystery.
The tunnel, which started under the block to the west, continues to the east and leads to a circular room where it ends. Blue lotus flower petals are painted around the edges of the five-foot-wide hole in the middle of the circular chamber. A narrow corridor exits the room to the east.
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”Maybe this is the test of boredom, and I’m not sure we’re passing,” Zilchus bemoans, looking around the room.
Know (Religion)
”Or maybe we are passing because I’m bored,” Zilchus glares at the Isis flower with disdain. ”Stupid Isis. Ain’t no way she’s good enough for Sobek. She’s can’t contain all of Sobek’s might.”
Zilchus looks around again, but finding nothing else, will go to the east when others are ready.
Perception
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"Huh," Nidhi comments unhelpfully. She nods at Florence's explanation.
Nidhi tisks at Zilchus. "Well, I like the blue lotus flowers. I think they're pretty. Functional or not."
The party carefully makes their way down the tunnel to the next room, much larger. Painted on the floor of this circular chamber is a stylized image of a recumbent lion. Harder to see, but still visible to the perceptive members of the party, is a broken arrow painted in the lion’s jaws.
Dozens of miniature figurines stand atop a low platform that rings the room. The figurines are of varying manufacture, some glazed clay, some carved and painted wood, others wax with chips of metal and colored stone wedged into their forms. The funerary figurines are known as ushabtis, and are common in Osirian tombs. You’ve likely seen other ushabti in other tombs you’ve traversed in fact.
There are about seventy ushabtis in this chamber, each worth about 25gp.
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Kosei is too impressed with the picture of the lion to notice anything else "Ah! Look! That is depiction of the lion! My tribe! This might only be a good augury that we found a lion on this dangerously uninspiring section of the pyramid my friends"
"It is also strange the previous chamber circle fits in the inner circle of this room" Kosei moves up over the picture "Might that pattern mean something?"
He does inspect the central tile, expecting another tunnel trapdoor just as the A one.
Like Kosei, Stelle is taken in by the stylized image of the lion.
"Yes, he is beautif -- awwwwwwwwwwwww, look. He has a broken arrow in his teeth. How adorable. Why for that, do you know?" She turns to Kosei. "Does your tribe have any stories about the Lion and the Broken Arrow?"
Stelle moves toward the northern corridor and waits for the others to investigate if they wish.
"Gosh, it's dark in here..." Stelle takes the sunrod out of its saddle holster and shakes it before shrugging and placing it back.
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"Oh yes! There is indeed the story of the Lion and the Broken Arrow!" Kosei raises an eyebrow in a clear mental effort "There was a time, my great-great-great-great grand mother had to fight a nasty tribe of the desert. They were the Hienas of the Laughing Moon. They had already destroyed many tribes and conquered many oasis in the old ancient sea of sand and they were besieging our immortal lands. My great-great-great-great grand mother said she will face the Hienas of the Laughing Moon and defeat them. But her tribe laughed at her and wanted to run away as many armies had fallen to them already"
"But then, my great-great-great-great grand mother departed and called for the Sun, and called for the winds and the sands, and day after day she pushed, harassed, battled and torn to pieces one of the gnolls. Like a blinding ray she will appear bellow a dune when they would be peeing. She will make the fire cast doubt between them and make them discuss. She will jump from the wind when one of them would be falling back distracted. And so, there was a day the Hienas of the Laughing Moon where no more and had to leave Osirion" Kosei smiles wide proudly "When my great-great-great-great grand mother was asked how did she managed she answered 'Like a bundle of arrows they are strong while they are together, but split them, then you can take them one by one as an arrow breaks easily when it is alone'"
He points then at all the figurines "These all figurines are likely meaning that same lesson here. It's just a reminder. I would not be surprised if we soon find the mummy of one of the gnolls. Hienas are scared of lions when they are alone, because they are much coward and weak"
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Zilchus looks around, pointing out anything of interest.
Perception
"Yeah, that broken arrow points to that figurine, but I guess you all see that, right?" Zilchus remarks lamely. "This room is somewhat better than the others, what with the cool toy soldiers to play with. Anyone want to play commanders and concubines?" He picks up a pair and stages a mock fight with them...saving a few of female figurines for another part of the imagination game. After a few moments of lost thoughts, he puts the figures down.
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"There was a time, my great-great-great-great grand mother had to fight a nasty tribe of the desert."
Nidhi is immediately enraptured by Kosei's story at the hearing of his distant grandmother. Grandmothers were amazing and definitely to be revered. She nods and smiles in all the right places and gasps at the suspenseful parts.
Dozens of miniature figurines stand atop a low platform that rings the room. The figurines are of varying manufacture, some glazed clay, some carved and painted wood, others wax with chips of metal and colored stone wedged into their forms. The funerary figurines are known as ushabtis, and are common in Osirian tombs. You’ve likely seen other ushabti in other tombs you’ve traversed in fact.
"It's magic, some sort of abjuration magic, but it's faint. I kind of think it might tie in with something else, that's somewhere else around here. If we keep pressing on we might be able to find out what!"
"Yeah, let's continue." Nidhi tosses her braid over her shoulder. "The Pharaoh seems to like inserting things into places, doesn't he?"
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"Wouldn't have thought you one for playing with dolls, Zilchus," Florence snickers.
Zilchus puts down the dolls with a guilty look on his face.
"They are not dolls, they are action figures. They are completely different," Zilchus guffs back. "Besides, this might be the test. Some sort of imagination game."
Huffy, Zilchus proceeds to the north when others are ready.
Perception
Leaving the figurines behind, the party advances down the short hall toward the next chamber. However, Zilchus’ keen eyes spot a trap in it! The walls have dozens of little holes and a simple hieroglyph of a rearing hooded cobra occupies the floor of this, again, circular chamber.
Nidhi may attempt to disarm the trap, but she must do so from within the room, so failure may trigger it.
"Yes, they are action figures" Kosei defends Zilchus, not understanding how Florence could confuse them with dolls.
"But you are right my friends, the stone is too heavy to bring them all with us, although we could use them to plan and simulate battles, which it is something very serious, nothing like dolls" regardless Kosei goes and picks up the magical one "This one though, we might need it... in case we find the other magical source that makes sense of it"
As Nidhi potentially advances to try disarm the trap, if it detects as magical, Kosei approaches and readies himself to counterspell in case the trap triggers "Though' I am sure you are going to rock it Nidhi my friend"
Nidhi flashes a smile at Kosei's words although her face is hidden by the mask. "Sure, I'll try my hand at the trap. You all may want to back up first though." She waits for her companions to move away to safety if they wish.
As Nidhi steps into the room to disarm the trap, a serpant's hiss seems to come from all around her. It increases in intensity slowly over time, however, Nidhi is able to disarm the trap!
The hissing abates as she quiets the trap, and the way is clear to proceed.
An elaborate painting of a pharaoh figure standing against a solar disk covers the floor of the next circular chamber in the series. Both Stelle and Zilchus spot hieroglyphs subtly hidden in the kingly figure’s crown that read, “Abase yourself, mortal.”
How do you proceed? (map updated!)
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Zilchus moves up, smiling at Nidhi’s intrinsic and unfailing skill with things he has no patience with: traps, people, song, and joy.
He moves into the next room.
”Abase yourself, mortal.”
”No, how about you abase your own face,” Zilchus grumbles, unwilling to bow a knee to any but the Ruby Prince, his uncle, and probably to Sobek (but also Sobek would be disappointed if he bowed before him, he considers that).
He looks around for trouble.
Perception
Nidhi looks around too, but lets the more beefy members of the part lead.
The party moves to the next chamber and Zilchus discovers (no, say it ain't so!) another trap!
Despite its incredible complexity, Nidhi is able to disarm it without too much trouble (damn you guys are good at what you do) however, and so the party does not, in fact, need to abase themselves...
You can smell incense ahead, and the hall is somewhat smokey with the stuff.
Zilchus again admires Nidhi’s work, staying patiently engaged and quiet as the woman works. When it is safe, he will move forward again towards the smell of incense.
”Smell that? No, that’s not me...but something...yeah...huh, herbal?” Zilchus tries to guess the scent.
Perception
Kosei observes from behind as Nidhi works in the trap "Nidhi my friend, my tent's door will always be open for you"
Not much later Zilchus might notice Kosei smelling over his shoulder "Mmmm... *sniff* *sniff* Sweat. Three days at the least my friend"
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"Nidhi my friend, my tent's door will always be open for you"
Zilchus pauses, tries to keep his cool. He would be both the witness and wingman to Kosei. Because he would. That’s the bro code.
Kosei, you sly dog, you. That’s how you do it, huh?
Zilchus just admires the slickness of the invitation, the calm confidence of it all.
My. Tent’s. Door. Will. Always. Be. Open. For. You.
Zilchus smiles. He steps back to admire Kosei just a bit more.
That’s just so slick. So that’s how Kosei does it. He just *does* it.
Stelle observes Zilchus admiring Kosei, and wonders which tent door he's thinking about.
Kosei stares Zilchus back startled "Ok, perhaps I do also feel some smell to incense myself Zilchus my friend" the Garundi then rubs his nose absentmindedly "Now, ehem... perhaps I have confused you, I was only trying to find the smell forward" and gives a couple of steps back "I am not that kind of a man, Commander"
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"Um...why are we just standing around staring at each other?"
"Oh, its nothing," Zilchus lies. No, it was something else. Really well done. "Nothing at all." Zilchus moves ahead of the party, giving Kosei a knowing nod and a pair of finger gun salutes.
Zilchus realizes he has much to learn from Kosei. He sniffs forward.
Just brilliant. My. Tent’s. Door. Will. Always. Be. Open. For. You. Zilchus repeats the words in his mind as to not forget them.
This grand chamber is hazy with the aromatic smoke of incense, and four fat columns covered with carved hieroglyphs support the ceiling. At the center of the room, a simple bull hieroglyph is painted on the floor in shimmering metallic gold, and large humanoid statues with the heads of long horned bulls stand in alcoves to north and south. A crystalline topaz pyramid stands a few feet tall in the western end of the chamber, pulsing with a bright amber glow.
Near the pyramid stands a figure painful to look upon: it appears to be a woman, but every inch of her skin is horribly burned by acid and covered in suppurating scabs. She wears a broad skirt of rich red silk that drapes down to the floor, decorated with dozens of small gems and dizzying designs in gold thread. An elaborate black wig of classic Osirian design sits on her head.
When she sees you she smiles, her pearly teeth a stark contrast with the angry black and red of her burnt flesh. She speaks in Ancient Osiriani, pleading, “Please tell me that all my suffering was not in vain.”
Kosei observes the menacing acid scars but does not get intimidated, he steps into the room "That very much depends Lady, in what was your suffering for. We are looking for the guardians of the pyramid here as we want to visit the boss" as he advances the Garundi shifts into a dire lion "And I am the Ancient Guardian of the Sun Lion, but whom are you my friend? And what's that topaz pyramid at your back?"
Zilchus shuffles his feet, trying to stay out of the way. He is certain that Nidhi or Florence would have good things to say here.
I bet if she followed Sobek, a real god, she wouldn't be suffering so.
Stelle looks at the incense burners as they burn away. "Isn't that what they use to cover up the stench of rot and decay? Too bad we can't summon something that can inhale miasma."
She looks at Florence, and quickly uses the Scarab of Mummy Defense to check for mummies ().
"Something worries me that if we tried to heal it, the effort would end up backfiring, so it might be worth trying either way."
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Kosei observes from behind as Nidhi works in the trap "Nidhi my friend, my tent's door will always be open for you"
Nidhi turns to look Kosei's frame over, judging his Strength to be rather average and thus unimpressive. "Thanks," she's confused due to the previous mention of an arranged marriage. "You're the kind of friend I want to have in my life."
Near the pyramid stands a figure painful to look upon: it appears to be a woman, but every inch of her skin is horribly burned by acid and covered in suppurating scabs. She wears a broad skirt of rich red silk that drapes down to the floor, decorated with dozens of small gems and dizzying designs in gold thread. An elaborate black wig of classic Osirian design sits on her head.
Nidhi inwardly cringes but manages to hold a neutral pose due to her experience performing. She does, however, study the woman trying to recall any stories she may have heard from Ben's ramblings.
Kosei nods satisfied at Nidhi, not realizing his sentence has been widely misunderstood "You are an unstoppable woman my friend"
The Garundi then looks back at the suspicious creature they have found.
She bows lightly to the Ancient Guardian, and there’s maybe the hint of a smile as Kosei turns into a dire lion. Stelle discovers no mummies in the vicinity. Nidhi thinks there’s something about this woman, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. Ben would surely know…
She turns to speak to Florence, and does so with a silky voice, ”I am a little confused by your speech young one, but I can assure you, I am not allied with Hakotep. In fact, I am a sworn priestess of Osiris, imprisoned here and tormented for millennia by the Set worshiping Sky Pharaoh for the supposed heresy of my faith. I am Eshen Theba and I beg you, for the good of all, destroy this pyramid!”
As she finishes speaking, she shuffles aside, dropping a bit of skin here and there, or more accurately scab. Her flowing skirt makes it seem like she’s floating across the floor gracefully.
Behind her is a solid topaz pyramid (Link to the image of the sapphire pyramid. Yours is topaz, but you get the idea.), about four feet tall, cut from what looks like a single massive gemstone. Likely it was created magically for none of you have ever seen a topaz that large. To synch it, glowing illusory orbs float around each pyramid giving it an extremely energetic feel. In ancient Osiriani hieroglyphs around the base are the words, ‘Open in the name of Hakotep.’
Each Control Pyramid also controls something, though you’re not sure what exactly. To do, whatever it does, you need simply to touch the Pyramid and speak the words written on the Pyramids face in ancient Osirian, ”Open in the name of Hakotep!” Then whatever it is that the Pyramid controls, er, will happen. In some way.
Finally, you can use the power to control another large stone pyramid which is fueled by this one. That is tricky as it requires either a spell with the acid or earth descriptor, or a DC 20 Use Magic Device (trained) to succeed.
Clear as mud? Too many pyramids. :)
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Stelle moves to the last pillar nearest the pyramid and beings inspecting it.
"There is something odd about this -- I wonder what these hieroglyphs say?"
”In fact, I am a sworn priestess of Osiris, imprisoned here and tormented for millennia by the Set worshiping Sky Pharaoh for the supposed heresy of my faith. I am Eshen Theba and I beg you, for the good of all, destroy this pyramid!”
Know (history) - Eshen
Know (religion) -Eshen, Osiris/Set conflict?”That’s exactly what we are here to try to do,” Zilchus snorts back. ”If you know *how* to do that, please do tell.”
Zilchus moves over to what Stelle has pointed out to confirm it, then read it if he can.
Perception
He studies it.
Kosei approaches as well "Imprisoned and tormented for millennia? That could not be Essen, you would be already dead friend!"
The lion also scans the area with detect magic.
"Right -- That Eshen -- the one who also ..." Stelle says on her way to the pillar.
"OH! Right... -- And don't forget that other thing... "
She turns to speak to Florence, and does so with a silky voice, "I am a little confused by your speech young one, but I can assure you, I am not allied with Hakotep. In fact, I am a sworn priestess of Osiris, imprisoned here and tormented for millennia by the Set worshiping Sky Pharaoh for the supposed heresy of my faith. I am Eshen Theba and I beg you, for the good of all, destroy this pyramid!”
Nidhi floats behind Kosei, picking a corner for safety. She clearly doesn't want to be the first to venture closer. The bard's adventuring history leads her believe the room may be trapped.
Stelle and Zilchus begin to study the column trying to decipher the mysterious hieroglyphs. Zilchus doesn’t know of any historical or religious foundation for what she is speaking of, but it could be a sect-thing, apart from the main religious beliefs. Kosei detects magics but must concentrate to pin the various sources down.
Eshen Theba smiles, a little, and her face cracks and bleeds. ”There is a ritual I must perform before you can destroy the pyramid, please be patient.”
She begins waving her arms and intoning, ignoring Kosei’s statement. Stelle will have to wait to help Zilchus, though she does so with aplomb, as we’re sort of in rounds and there’s a lot going on. Nidhi is careful moving forward for fear of traps, though she doesn’t see any.
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Kosei deals badly with being ignored. His lion eyes stretch as he studies Eshen's behavior and the ritual she is performing from a critical point of view.
Independently of what he feels about Eshen, the Garundi feels something is about to happen and casts life bubble touching all the group, including Anubis-Ka and Bynx.
The man also whispers to the ones close to him "I do not like her acid scars. Should I bring resistance to that?"
She looks to see what the others have managed to read off the pillars.
With a straight face and neutral voice, Nidhi gives a slight nod, telling her allies: "Her words echo Ben's and Cahal's dedication," hoping her words are too vague for Eshen to decipher.
Then, to Eshen: "It pains me to see you tortured like this. Of course we'll help you."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Let us search."
Nidhi will cast Greater Heroism on the party.
Kosei sees nothing untoward, nor can he quite make out the magics the woman is employing. It'll take a bit of doing to touch everyone, and you'll need to end your movement next to Stelle or Zilchus - your choice.
Nidhi tries to sneak a message through to the party. If Eshen notices, she says nothing, but she's rather focused on her task at hand. Also, Greater Heroism only affects one person. Did you mean to cast Good Hope? Or Greater Heroism just on yourself? Either is fine, just let me know.
"Her words echo Ben's and Cahal's dedication," hoping her words are too vague for Eshen to decipher.
Zilchus’ hand tightens on his blade at the mention of Ben’s name, a small snort escaping his lips. Continuing his examination of the column, he moves to the other side to read all around it.
Ben. What a jerk. Leaving us. It wasn’t fair.
Kosei has to move to the other side of the room, ending just behind Stelle.
Stelle continues to read the column.
The last message written on the pillar is ”Direct your vessels to the skies above Ipeq, and await my next orders. This your pharaoh commands.”
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vs DC 25 - success!
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Eshen Theba finishes her ritual as the party prepares itself with Nidhi’s warning. Her red skirt billows out and falls away as does the horrific appearance of her flesh as Eshen Theba takes on her true form (image)! Flying slightly in the air she shrieks at the party, ”You are such fools! How could you fail to bow before the true Pharaoh!” Saying nothing further in her disgust, she completes her ritual, which was a summons!!
…unfortunately, just as she is about to accomplish the final gestures, Florence throws a counter spell of her own, which intertwines with Eshen’s and foils it!
A frustrated Eshen sticks her tongue out at Florence, but Florence gets the jump on her and goes first.
Florence
Kosei
Nidhi
Stelle
Zilchus
Good Folk
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