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After a thorough search Anakh-Ka finds two secret doors, one in the western wall, the other in the eastern wall. While the former is locked, the latter isn't.
The eastern hidden door leads into a small room filled with human-shaped bundles wrapped in linen. Each wears a small medallion around its neck.
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Anakh-Ka's magical fingers soon get rid of the hidden door's resistance, and the two brothers are able to bypass the obstacle. Behind lies a L-shaped corridor that soon turns northward, eventually reaching another door after a flight of stairs. The door opens without effort.
This room holds several neatly arrayed chests, boxes, and urns. The dust of centuries covers every surface. The only exit is a set of stone double doors to the south.
None of the chests and boxes in the room are locked, as the items within them were the most personal to Akhentepi, and his soul might want to have immediate access to them. Most of the goods in the chests, such as once-fine clothing and sealed jars of food, no longer have any value after the passage of centuries, but among the spoiled and ruined grave goods are several salvageable items of value, including two vials of silversheen, a masterwork longbow, 10 cold iron arrows, a gold scarab clasp worth 50 gp, an onyx and silver holy symbol of Pharasma worth 100 gp, a silver hand mirror worth 35 gp, and a wax-sealed clay urn of nard worth 75 gp.
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The secret door opens with a little bit of work, and some more practise for the apprentice lockpicker. Beyond the door, another long, yet narrower than before, hallway.
A sarcophagus covered in gold leaf rests on a raised stone platform in the center of this chamber. The casket’s cover is carved the likeness of an adult man with his arms crossed over his chest, and covered in thick coat of dust. Two ornate chests sit beyond the dais in the northeast and southeast corners, and between them stand two large funerary urns. The sole exit is a door to the west.
As you approach the sarcophagus, a cobra made of metal suddenly ambushes you, springing from the shadows!
The Last Guardian - round 1
1. Ka, Ib
2. Cobra
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Before Khal-Ib has time to strike the iron cobra again, Anakh-Ka's swing scatters the construct into tiny metal scraps.
Once the last guardian is destroyed, you are able to plunder the tomb... with the utmost respect for it previous owner. The mummified body of Akhentepi is interred in this room along with many of his riches. The gold leaf decorating the sarcophagus is worth a total of 100 gp, if enough time is spent to salvage all of it. Inside the sarcophagus, Akhentepi’s mummified corpse wears an exquisitely crafted gold funerary mask worth 500 gp. One of the chests contains Akhentepi’s armor, a magic suit of padded armor he wore in life. The other chest holds a disintegrating cloth sack filled with 500 gp, as well as a small, well-preserved darkwood coffer worth 50 gp. Inside the coffer is a potion of darkvision, a potion of lesser restoration, an ornate lapis and carnelian pendant worth 70 gp, and an assortment of carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise semiprecious stones worth a total of 55 gp.
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The rest of the day quickly goes by. After returning to the Grand Mausoleum to report your findings and handing over your notes, a visit to the bazaar and the armorsmith takes up most of your time. Everywhere, people are positively amazed that you came back alive, since a more dire fate has befallen some of the groups who took part in the lottery.
In the evening, you return to your inn, called the Tooth & Hookah, where most of your competitors - or fellow explorers, as you may prefer to call them - have gathered tonight to share tales of their first forays. In the busy main room, scents of roasted meat, mint tea and Osirian dark ale mingle to create an atmosphere of revelry.
You quickly distinguish five other groups that have lived to tell the tale: the Cryptfinders, the Daughter of the Desert, the Dog Soldiers, the Sand Scorpions and the Scorched Hand. You all remember them from the lottery day, so spotting them is easy.
At a nearby table, a human dressed in leathers raises his ale and seaks with a very heavily Absalom accent. "Hey there, you're the Coils of the Oro... Orabo... Well, I can't say it properly. Did you know that we Cryptfinders were assigned the tomb of, err... Khepi-Chapo, who was an important government official. Boy, what riches we found there! Ancient coins, jewels, magic devices of all sorts. Especially after we defeated that mummy. Right boys?" he asks to his companions. "Anyway, how was your delve? Was it a promising place?"
Some other explorers from the other groups also turn to you to hear your tale.
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Khal-Ib is the first to enter the room, but remains calm and true to his usual stoic attitude. The pahmet dwarf's figure is much more impressive now, due to his newly-acquired stoneplate, matched with a similar armor for his brother. Its fine craft really stands out, providing the stonelord with a second skin made of stone. All in all, Kha-Ib now looks like a hulking stone golem.
"Two fresh beers, bartender. Today was a long day."
Turning to the loquacious human, he cannot help but raise an eyebrow. "A mummy, is that so? That's an impressive feat, congratulations. As for us, we delved into the tomb of a man named Akhentepi. He was someone important, from what archaeological clues we gathered, and was buried along with his many servants, two cats, and almost his mistress! It was quite an adventure, truly. Oh, and we're the Coils of Ouroboros."
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An Ulfen woman with flowing red hair seems to be paying very good attention to the tale you're spinning. You recognize her as Sigrun Firehair, the leader and warrior-poet of the Daughters of the Desert, a company composed solely of women. He concern and interest seem genuine. "Did you say a false sarcophagus? When did you realize it was one - was it trapped? Did you find the real one? As far as we're concerned, we explored the house of a wealthy pawnbroker and encountered many traps, but there were almost no creatures to be slain. We weren't sure that we had found everything there was to find there, so many hidden passages. It's good to know it was your experience as well. Here, have a beer on me."
"Count yourself lucky, then." grumbles a hard-drinking halfling with a very sour tone. "I saw my entire band of war dogs engulfed by a blasted gelatinous cube. We eventually killed it - didn't bring back my dogs though - but we found that nice and shiny magic sword. You interested? I need some money to get some new dogs..." the halfling says as he downs his ale in a similar manner as Anakh-Ka. Yet something in his slurred way of speaking tells you it isn't the first one.
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Anakh-Ka accepts the Ulfen's offer and shares a drink with her. "Deadly trap indeed, but we managed to find a switch and avoid finding out the hard way what untimely death it could bring to us. We also stumbled upon magical runes which ended up conjuring a swarm of cockroaches. Nasty buggers, these ones. The juiciest part was that Akhentepi wanted to have his mistress buried with him, but he died before her room was ready, so the disdained lady had to find another tomb to rest!" chuckles the Pahmet. "I'm Anakh-Ka, by the way. Nice to meet you, lass."
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While Anakh-Ka entertains the Ulfen woman with his stories, another woman creeps to the Pahmet's side, interrupting at the first opportune moment to do so. There is little indication of her true nature since her face is veiled, but her curves suggest she's either an elf or a half-elf. Her voice sounds as a soft whisper in your ear. From what you recall, she belongs the the Sand Scorpions, a team with a shady reputation. "My apologies. I couldn't help but notice the alchemical vials you carry. People call me Black Kiss for some reason, and I think we share the same hobby. Are you versed in poisons? I could provide you with some, if you so wished."
As for Khal-Ib, the halfling gruffly refuses the stonelord's kindness, seemingly preferring to drown his sorrow in a bottle of Nexian spirits. However, the accursed paladin notices that another group is present, the Scorched Hand. Their leader Velriana Hypaxes, the woman who made a show of herself at the lottery by protesting against the rules, is eyeing you with curiosity. At her side, a tall dark-skinned Garundi man bearing a holy symbol of Nethys quiety finishes his meal while keeping an ear on what's being said in the inn. Close to him, another Garundi - of Osirion origin this one - is reading a book, but seems to be distracted by something. The last member of that band, a dark-skinned half-elven woman bearing a khopesh and a kukri at her side, sips her spiced wine while remaining mostly in the shadows.
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Velriana Hypaxes nods in return, standing up and offering to meet with Khal-Ib. The woman wears sultry red clothes clearly fit for the warmer temperatures found in Osirion, and a large hat bringing shade to her. Her eyes suggest she is very clever, just like her manners suggest a decent education. "Well met, master dwarf. You are a Pahmet, right? One of the dwarves who have been living in Osirion and sharing the fates of its people for ages now? I'm honored to finally meet one of you. I'm Velriana Hypaxes, a dedicated Osirionologist and follower of Nethys - as a man of the cloth yourself, you might have caught the reference to the god we follow in our company's name."
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Khal-Ib bows his head in a formal way. "The honor is mine, Ms. Hypaxes. I am Khal-Ib of the Coils of Ouroboros. My twin brother and I indeed hail from Osirion, having been raised as true Irorans. However, our faith is also close to that of Pharasma as we follow a philosphy known as Ouroboros. It defines life as an eternal cycle where we humble mortals must perfect ourselves in the very way Irori showed us as he ascended as a god. Are you familiar with it?"
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The Osirionologist appears surprised. "Sadly, I can't say I have." she expresses with a strong Taldan accent. "It does sound interesting though. May I ask if you know where it comes from and when it started out as a philosophy? I'd be highly interested in learning about it."
Much later in the discussion, once you seem to have exhausted the subject of your faith, she starts talking about hers. You learn that hre company is actually looking for something very specific - an early Nethysian sanctuary of sorts, which she hoped to be assigned to, hence her reaction at the lottery. Your discussion goes well into the night, and you end up wishing each other good luck for your respective goals.
The next morning, you are summoned to the Grand Mausoleum, where you learn of the second site you are assigned: the House of Pentheru.
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In the morning, Anakh-Ka wakes up early enough to grab a decent breakfast - for a dwarf, that is. As Khal-Ib comes down after his morning prayer and meditation, his brother enquires about the night before.
"Did you sleep well? You sure talked late with that lady. Anything between you and her I should be aware about?" he comments with a slight grin.
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Khal-Ib prefers not to expand too much on what happened the night before, as a sideways look suggests. "Nothing of the sort, we talked about our respective faiths, and that allowed me to learn what she was after. Her Scorched Hand company is actually composed of Nethys followers, and they're looking for a holy site for their god, or a relic." he explains as he nibbles on a loaf of bread.