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CAW dot.
Dot.
Your party has registered at the temple of Pharasma for the lottery to pick sites to explore. The priest simply asked you your group's name and the names of the members. He then handed you a token to identify your group. Now, the day of the lottery has finally arrived.
The bustling desert city of Wati is near bursting with excitement. Adventurers from every corner of the Inner Sea region have assembled here beneath the hot Osirian sun to explore the tombs of the city’s necropolis, waiting only to be assigned their first sites for exploration. Surrounding the participants, the public has gathered to observe the ceremony as well. There is a festival-like quality in the air, and numerous street vendors are hawking goods and refreshments to participants and spectators alike. Some merchants have even brought what
can only be considered adventuring gear to sell as last minute convenience items to explorers, while others advertise that they’ll buy recovered treasures and antiquities from those who visit their establishments.
In front of the imposing edifice of the Grand Mausoleum, an immense awning has been erected between decorated pillars in the market to provide shade for the priests of Pharasma overseeing the lottery. Beneath the awning, two urns sit atop a table elevated a few feet above the ground on a wooden stage constructed for the event. The high priestess of the Grand Mausoleum, Sebti the Crocodile, sits behind the table, while two acolytes confer with her at either side.
Many of the adventuring teams are quietly whispering while waiting for the ceremony to begin. Some are telling hair-raising stories of encounters with undead. Others are already mentally spending all the profit they are sure they will make.
A priest of Pharasma hands each group a copy of the following rules:
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 conf lict 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.
Braydir throws his arm around Talon and squeezes him a little too tightly. "It's almost be time now Tal! Ken ye feel tha excitement in tha air? It smells like, smells like-". The inquisitor sniffs several times, his face slowing souring. "A lot of stinkin' people. That's what I say. I still dinna understand why we kinna just go in and need ta wait for this lottery business! Just let tha pro's go at it I say! We ain't nae thieves or bandits!"
Malik whispers to the others, "I hope we can succeed in not breaking the rules they have set out for us. Though I cannot see how they would know if we did."
"I hope we can succeed in not breaking the rules they have set out for us. Though I cannot see how they would know if we did."
Braydir let's go of the tengu and shrugs at Malik. "Aye. We'll be fine. What's important be we stick together, utilize each other's talents and watch eachother's backs. When tha s#+* be hittin' tha fan, we'll do our best with tha rules but rules do ye nae good when ye're layin' in tha boneyard! Remember, laws be havin' no conscience."
Khere looked over the rules and nodded.
"Seems reasonable. It is important we respect the remains of the dead, unless they have arisen as the undead servants of Set."
As soon as he said Set the aasimar spat in disgust before continuing, "I don't think any of you would do anything that would defile the deceased, but since I'm not so sure of others here. While I would like to monitor them as well I've already made a commitment to aid you my new friends in exploring the necropolis."
The paladin of Anubis raised an eyebrow at the dwarf and merely signed.
"Let's just be careful. I would hate for us to commit some sort of crime. Besides as long as you don't just dump the remains all over the ground we should be fine...I think."
The aasimar was still uneasy about how the other groups would behave.
Dakash grasps the group's copy of the rules. She is finishing reading them out-loud for the second time, excessively over annunciating each third or fourth word to make sure that Dagori catches it all. "If the in-TERRED need to be dis-TERBED to recover an AN-TI-QUI-TY or relic - that's anything we find under there Dagori - they should be re-TURNED to their resting places care-FULLY."
Noticing that the others are trying to hold a conversation, she cuts herself short, smiles impishly and flicks her hair back out of her face. "I'm more than happy to accept that help Khere, and obviously I won't be messing with the long dead. For all I know, I could be messing with my own past corpse. I wonder if that would cause some kind of time paradox?" The young Samsaran's lips purse as she starts to stare off into the distance.
Blushing a bit from Dakash's words, Khere cleared his throat before speaking, "It's my pleasure to aid you Dakash. And while I may know nothing of um time paradocies, I do hope that aiding you and the others we can undercover a great deal of my people's history. Much of it was lost to the sands of time."
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Dagori, who is ever silent, chuckles at himself silently. Dakash and her word stressing. this female is curious, she is he thought. He nods at her, taking the effort to heart. When she turned and spoke to Khere, Dagori made sure to watch them speak. He then turned to Khere and signaled that he understood the rules.
hopefully they get it. It's no harder than trying to read the lips of a dragon...
Dagori pulled out his spear and began to clean it with a soft rag. He kept his eyes on his partners and made sure no one was missing.
"Well I think we wont have a problem with the rules. Caw. Its traps and undead that worry me. CAW." Talon says. "I hope we get a good starting spot." He adds softly.
"Well you take care of the traps, and I'll take care of the undead," Khere said in reply to Talon's words.
"Sounds like a plan. CAW. Excuse me." Talon mumbles the last bit.
Dakash ruffles through her pack and passes Talon a small sucking lolly, wrapped in bright maroon paper. "Here friend, these should help with those hiccups. HiCAWps?" The lolly is mint flavoured.
A little impatient at the wait - if she wanted to stand around all day, why not at the inn instead - Dakash turns her attention to the priestess on stage.
"Thanks.." Talon says shyly.
Malik watches the antics of the others, bemused. Do they just not care that we are about to gain a pass to enter life threatening danger?
Noticing Malik's bemused expression, Khere pats him on the back.
"Do not worry friend. I'm sure that Anubis and Wadjet are watching over us. I'll do my best to keep our enemies at bay while you attack them from afar."
Its traps and undead that worry me.
The grin on the dwarf's face streches so wide that his cheeks squint his eyes have closed. "Ye've got nae worries thar me friend, thats why I'm taggin' along with ye afterall! Ye take care of tha traps, me and Khere here, why, we be takin' care of tha bag of bones. Ha!"
As he says 'ha' he slaps Khere's back with his large open palm. "Right?!"
Malik smiles in thanks at Khere, "Indeed, and I will watch your back."
The ceremony begins when the high priestess of the
Grand Mausoleum, Sebti the Crocodile, rises to her
feet and looks over the crowd. Sebti seems surprisingly
young to hold such a distinguished position, but she has
a confident air of authority. After calling for silence, she
begins with an invocation to the Lady of Graves, followed
by a brief history of the founding of the necropolis.
Sebti concludes,
“Let the lottery begin! Although many
of you have requested specific sites to
explore, we must leave these matters to
fate. The Lady of Graves is a far better
judge of destiny than we of this mortal
sphere. The gates of the necropolis will
open at sunrise tomorrow. Use this
evening to prepare yourselves for the task
ahead. Let these rules guide you in your
endeavors in this holy place: remember
how this came to pass, every slave’s hut is a
memorial, and honor the departed. May you
go with the Lady’s blessing.”
The priests of the Grand Mausoleum have
decided on a lottery to distribute access to
the tombs to make the process impartial
and subject to the dictates of fate, in
keeping with Pharasmin religious tenets. The church
has mapped the necropolis and designated selected sites
within it for exploration, dividing them into three pools,
from the smallest and simplest of structures to the largest
and potentially most complex. Each party of explorers is
assigned three sites, one at a time, so that a group must
complete its exploration of one site before gaining access
to another.
After Sebti returns to her seat, the two acolytes
accompanying her each draw a wooden token from one
of the urns on the table. The first token identifies the
adventuring group, matching the token that group
received when it registered for the lottery. The second
token determines which tomb is assigned to that group.
The first group called is the Sand Spirits. You watch as a representative of their group goes forward, presents the group's token, and is given a paper map to their first site. Several other groups are called, and then an acolyte calls out "Silver Seekers."
"Would you prefer I go," Khere asked as he prepared to go get the token and map.
"By all means, be my guest."
Khere smiled at Dakash as he went up to retrieve the map and token, his silver holy symbol of Anubis shining in the sunlight.
Braydir doesn't speak but gives a slow nod of his head in ascent and motions Khere forward.
Khere walks up to the front where the acolytes are, and gives them your team's token. The acolyte returns the token to Khere, and then shows on a map the location of the Tomb of Akhentepi. He hands Khere a small map showing the location of the tomb.
"Akhentepi hey? Well, if we're going to rat around in this guy's final resting place then I'd better make myself acquainted with him. I'll head to the library, and meet you all at the this afternoon?" Dakash quickly notes down the spelling of the dead tomb owner, and happily skips off before anyone can give an answer.
Malik looks from Dakash to the others as Dakash skips away, "Did she say library?" He rushes after Dakash, calling out for her to wait. His excitement for books animating him in a way the others had yet to see. Once there he joins her in research.
Khere nodded as he said, "I'll go to the Tooth and Hookah in order to keep some of our friends from getting too drunk
Braydir cheerfully slams a palm on Khere's back with a thump, "Drunk? Who's gettin' drunk? Thar be nae need drinkin' ta tha point of gettin' sick me friend. That's an absolute waste!"
The aasimar paladin shrugged as he replied to the dwarf, "Just being safe is all I'm saying friend. Nothing wrong with being cautious."
First thing the next morning, the gates to the necropolis are opened for the teams of explorers. You go through the gates, and easily find your assigned tomb. When you arrive, this is what you see:
A rectangular stone mausoleum sits alone in what appears to
have once been an actual cemetery. The trunks of a few dead
trees poke out of the sand around the tomb, and a hot breeze
whistles through their desiccated branches. A set of massive
stone double doors is affixed to the northern side of the
structure, beneath a facade bearing the likeness of an Osirian
man. Windblown sand is heaped around the crypt, partially
burying the doors that lead within.
Braydir studies the entrance carefully before anyone approaches.
He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "Of course ours wou' be in a cemetery?! Why shou' I have though otherwise?"
Looking up at the Osirian man he asks, "That mean anythin' ta anyone?"
Khere looks at the writing before saying, "I can read this."
The aasimar paladin begins translating...
Malik steps up beside Khere and reads along as the other reads out loud.
The name of the individual interred within the tomb, Akhentepi, is engraved upon the doors in Osiriani, along with the dates of his birth and death, indicating that the deceased was born in 2416 ar and died in 2488 ar, 11 years before the Plague of Madness decimated most of the city. The doors are 10 feet tall and made of solid stone, with no visible handles or hinges. The doors are on concealed hinges and swing outward. There are also telltale traces of mortar along the seams and jamb that has since crumbled or been chipped away, indicating that the doors were meant to be sealed permanently and not intended to be opened again. A crowbar or similar tool has been inserted between the doors at some point. There is sand preventing the doors from opening.