As Caius sorts through the treasure that was found within the tomb he slowly begins to pack what fits into the mule's saddlebags.
"Alright. Let's get what we can packed onto Eleanor here. The rest we can carry ourselves. We can sell off most of it within the markets and take what myself and Hibbins think will do well for antiquity sales else where."
He then looks over at Hibbins. "Where do you think is the best place to sell off the antiquities?
The young man shakes his head as the others describe a glowing figure riding a chariot through the streets to public acclaim. "I don't think I'm ready to be THAT guy. Too much about self, not enough about saving others."
He continues to help hauling loot as long as needed.
The return to the Grand Mausoleum is a short trip, the massive temple constructed close to the necropolis walls to better remain vigilant for undead or, in simpler times, tomb robbers, but the afternoon heat makes it difficult. The streets, baking in the desert sun, shimmer with the haze of mirage, giving the road ahead the illusion of being paved with silver.
Rivaled in magnificence and importance to the Pharasman faith only by the High Temple in Sothis, the Grand Mausoleum dominates Wati's skyline and much of its day-to-day activity. The birth, death, and important life events of all but the poorest residents are recorded here and since the ascendancy of the Lady of the Grave's faith in the Half-Dead City, it doubles as the seat of the local government.
At the entrance to the sprawling complex, the Scarabs find a cleric seated at table, idly scratching her quill against a piece of papyrus, flanked by armored guards. The guards hold umbrellas over the seated scribe, but it is clear that they all have been in the sun for too long. If they didn't seem miserable enough, they seem to be dealing with a group of visibly upset adventurers.
A man and a woman stand across the table, arguing with the clearly overworked clerk. "This is preposterous," complains the lightly-tanned woman. "We have a right to explore the ruins sacred to our faith." Of average height, the woman wears what seems to be a combination of functional adventuring gear and the clothes of a fashionable Taldan dandy. Her long, light brown hair is tucked under a flamboyant floppy hat, complete with a long feather. A puffy fuschia shirt, khaki pantaloons, and knee-high leather buckled boots complete the ensemble. A number of things hang or are tucked into her belt: crossbow, dagger, leather book, and a wand carved to resemble a cobra. A choker bearing the dual-colored face of Nethys covers her throat.
The clerk sighs and rubs his face, smearing the dark kohl around his eyes. "I must inform you, Miss... what did you say your name was?"
"Hypaxes," she replies tersely.
"Right, Miss Hypaxes. The church formally denies the Scorched Hand's petition to exclusively explore ruins involving Nethys or this 'Erudite Eye' you've mentioned. If we allowed every special interest group to hand select their assigned locations, there would be pandemonium. You will have to use the lottery like everybody else."
The Taldan woman looks like she's about to say something else, but one of her companions, a tall Garundi man, places a hand on her shoulder and whispers something in her ear. He has the look of a strong and healthy man, wearing shining bronze scale mail over a bleached linen tunic and a polished, pointed helm. A sash, half black and half white, is tied around his waist and over his shoulder.
The other two members stand further back, watching the exchange. One is a shorter, albeit handsome, Keleshite man in his early twenties with a lean physique. His lustrous hair is black and just long enough to require occasional brushing away from his face. Thin lines of kohl rim his eyes, obviously to make his eyes more striking, rather than to block out any of the sun's glare. He wears a sleeveless, cerulean tunic and a loose wrap of striped yellow-and-orange silk that falls to his ankles. The only person he seems to be focusing on is the Garundi man reassuring the Hypaxes woman, but if he sees any of the Circle looking, he throws them a casual smile.
The last member of their group seems like a bit of an outlier. The only non-human, she is a Garundi half-elf. She also doesn't seem to outwardly wear any colors or symbols of Nethys. Standing a little over six feet with dusky skin, she keeps her straight, black hair in a braided pony tail that falls to the small of her back. She has an athletic physique that appears used to running, jumping, tumbling; and fighting, if the wickedly sharp khopesh on her back and battered studded leather armor she wears were any indication. Despite the anger of her companions, she seems cool and calm, standing away from the argument.
"Fine!" the Taldan woman shouts, throwing her hands into the air. "But if I catch wind that any of our sacred artifacts are being sold to the non-faithful..."
"I can assure you, miss, that all artifacts must be approved by the clergy before being sold," the priest tries to assure her.
"Oh, cut the shit. I've seen the ways things are done here. This place has more holes than a Bargetown whore. You know it. I know it. You Pharasmins are content to send us to gather the garbage of your dead, but you will not lift a finger to protect against the desecration of your cousin faith." She turns to the rest of her group. "Come on, Khelru. Azaz. Idorii. Let's get out of here."
As the group crosses your path, the Taldan woman stops and holds out her hand. "Lady Velriana Hypaxes. If you catch wind of anything involving Nethysian artifacts or lore, seek out the Scorched Hand. We will offer you a fair reward."
On the table before the priest lies a stack of paperwork and a jar with a what looks to be a few silver coins inside. As you approach the table, the cleric looks at you through strained eyes. "Sorry about that," he offers. After introductions are made, he checks his list. "Ah yes, the Sand Scarabs. I have your assignment down as the Tomb of Akhentepi. I am required to ask of you three questions. Have you finished your exploration of the tomb to your satisfaction? Have you followed the three rules as mandated by High Priestess Sebti? And do you have any historical information regarding the tomb's occupants, living, dead, or otherwise?"
The cleric waits for your response, quill hovering over the ink pot set on his table.
Merutep raises an eyebrow at the foreign woman's shrieking. "Oh, my! She does seem upset, doesn't she?"
Aya nods her head in agreement.
Merutep shrugs and waits for her turn to speak with the scribe. When the Taldan woman suddenly offers her hand, Merutep shakes it with surprise. "Oh! Hello. I'm Merutep! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry if you're having trouble waiting for fate to reward your piety with this Nethysian temple your looking for. But, they say patience is a virtue! I've been waiting a decade to get into the Necropolis at all!" She smiles, clearly considering this an assuring statement. "And here we are!"
As the other adventurer's stomp off, Merutep moves up to the front of the line.
"Hello, sir!"
Looking at her companions, she smiles nervously. "This is so exciting!"
She turns back to the scribe and bows. "Yes, we're the Sand Scarabs. it's a pleasure to be here! The Tomb of Akhentepi was wondrous!" She clasps her hands together near her face and smiles wistfully. "I can't wait for the next site! Oh! Of course!" Clearing her throat, Mertuep answers respectfully. "We have finished exploration of the Tomb of Akhentepi to my satisfaction. We have followed the three rules as mandated by High Priestess Sebti. As for historical information, my companions are better equipped to answer that question than I. As your notes no doubt indicate, I am a new member to the Sand Scarabs, and was not present for the entire exploration."
She turns to Caius, Rashim, and Dr. Hibbins and smiles, clearly giving them the opportunity to speak on behalf of the group.
As Merutep gushes like a child Aya shakes her head in exasperation. She squawks loudly in Merutep's ear when she's reminiscing, in an attempt to get the enthusiastic woman back on track.
When Merutep finally remembers her duties and poise, Merutep nods her head respectfully to the scribe, in a bow, then tilts her head regally to the sky.
Caius smiles a devilish grin as the Taldan woman introduces herself, and takes her hand in his and kisses the back of it.
"It's a pleasure meeting you Velriana. I'm Caius Jeggare. I'll be sure to contact you if I think of anything that might interest you...including Nethysian items." he says with a sly wink.
"Perhaps we could trade notes and stories later at the Tooth & Hookah?"
He then makes his way to the table and waits as his companions deal with the rest.
Hibbins keeps an eye on the Nethys worshiping bunch as they leave. Maybe they would be willing to part with much more valuable rewards than his normal contacts could offer.
The priest blinks in the face of Merutep's relentless enthusiasm. He scratches a few notes into his sheet and then looks expectantly to the rest of the party.
Velriana draws her hand back with a slight smirk. "Perhaps we will."
Rashim was waiting for someone else to fill in the rest of the details, before realizing everyone else was doing the same thing. He hestiatingly speaks up. "We found many great things..." He then recounts as best he can the information they had found in the tomb.
The cleric bobs his head while inscribing the notes provided by Rashim. "The church would also like to purchase the two books describing this Akhentepi's campaigns you mentioned. I am prepared to offer you six hundred and fifty gold scarabs for the two of them as well as for the information provided."
"Oh, wonderful!" Merutep exclaims. She claps her hands before realizing she's acting childish again. Clearing her throat, Merutep smiles serenely and inclines her head. "That is agreeable, sir. Thank you for your generosity. I look forward to continuing in the lottery tomorrow."
Looking quite proud of her wayward human, Aya inclines her head at the priest in a respectful bow.
Meriui is careful to note the slave mummies which were left in place, and the ornate chariot which will be an engineering project to extract.
Then he turns to his new companions. "So, what's next?"
"We have money, our lives, and our health. I think that calls for a drink."
"Are you planning on selling our findings at the market, or bringing them in for auction? I can handle the sales if you'd rather go celebrate."
Caius smiles at the mention of a drink. "Now that sounds like a plan Hibbins."
He then responds to Merutep. "We can sell the more mundane objects we found, anything myself and Hibbins deem to be an antiquity we can auction."
"Oh, wonderful!" Merutep remarks. "I was hoping to have time to examine the ancient relics for symbolism important to the Old Gods!"
"Celebrating survival and living is a pretty good choice, when you have the chance."
Merutep collects the gear approved for sale and hauls it to the market to sell. "I'll meet you at the Tooth and Hookah!" she calls out to her new friends as she leaves.
"Are you certain that you don't want assistance with the negotiations?"
"My dear Miss Merutep, you would do better to come with me my lady. I have, how should I put this, acquaintances that will be most forthcoming with funds for these kinds of ancient baubles." Hibbins smiles and motions with his hand. "Besides all that, it would give me a chance to wow you with my cultured poise and business acumen."
Merutep smiles at the offers of help. "Why thank you, that would be most helpful."
Easily influenced by her new friends, Merutep follows Dr. Hibbins and Meriui wherever they lead, even if it turns out to be away from the market.
Rashim just shrugs and moves along wherever, not too concerned either way.
The enormous, open air bazaar known as the Sunburst Market forms the bustling heart of Wati. Centered in the Midwife District, decorated pillars mark out a regular grid, and various merchants hang attention-grabbing banners and samples of their wares from the painted sandstone columns. On busy days like today, the open plaza transforms into a maze of tents and tables that display goods ranging from artwork, cosmetics, and food to weapons, poisons, and magical tomes.
Traveling merchants from neighboring cities often come to the Sunburst Market to ply their wares. In theory, all merchants must register with and pay a fee to Abadar's Sanctum of Silver and Gold at the north end of the market, but in practice, as much as a quarter of Sunburst Market's retailers are squatters who move in and out of the city with all the oversight of the desert wind. Most of the fees the temple collects pay for the services of the so-called "Marketwives," incognito enforcers that mete out harsh punishment to any foolish enough to violate Abadaran law. Their grisly form of justice is on display for all to see at the plaza's Pillar of Second Thoughts: a stone obelisk where dozens of hands from would-be pickpockets and cheats dangle from ropes tied to the top.
To the south of the market lies the Golden Lake, an artificial pool that separates the bustle of the Sunburst from the Grand Mausoleum. Taking its name from the coating of gold dust over its surface once a year to celebrate the Day of Bones, the now-green water is home to dozens of white crocodiles, a rare breed sacred to Wati's Pharasmin faith.
With the breadth of goods available here, one could find almost anything. The question is: where to start?
Merutep winds through the Market without a thought, completely used to the sights and sounds of Wati's shopping district.
She hands out advice to the foreigners among the group, and helps find stalls to sell their goods.
Once their goods are sold, Merutep takes her vast share of the money an does a little shopping.
Caius follows along with the group eager to get his share of the wealth from the tomb.
After getting his portion he begins to look around for wares and more importantly information.
+ = 19
Higgins takes his money and searches out the nearest tavern.
The alchemist takes an open seat next to a group of halflings dressed in red and brown leather armor. A number of Katapeshi fighting dogs lay around their seats, panting in the heat or hoping for a bit of food to fall.
One of the halflings, a muscled brute with an eye patch and an unruly mop of hair raises a mug of ale in the doctors direction. "Ho, stranger. You have the look of an adventurer. Are you here for the lottery?"
Once their goods are sold, Merutep takes her vast share of the money an does a little shopping.
The party makes their way back to the Tooth and Hookah, a modest inn and hookah bar which is best known for its mascot, Toothy — a tiny crocodile that lives in the inn’s well. Outside, throngs moving through new Wati’s streets are seen, arrayed in colorful caftans and buzzing with sound and life, while old Wati remains still and silent as the graveyard it is. The avenue it sits on is packed with inns and houses, markets filled with brass lamps and striped rugs, and other merchants of all sorts. Canvas awnings stretch over doorways, casting pools of shade.
Most doorways are nothing more than hanging curtains during the day to try and get some relief from the heat. Most establishments are shaded and as dark as possible inside while still allowing just enough light to conduct whatever business is necessary. Most buildings are made with mud-brick walls as well to help ward off the sun. A fine layer of sand covers almost everything.
The Sign of The Tooth and Hookah
Inside, the floorboards rasp under your boots, a fine layer of sand covering the floor. Pillows shaped like crescent moons surround low, round tables. Water pipes of dinged and dented brass with painted enamel bases sit in the center of each table. Clay bowls filled with the stubs of unlit candles hang from the ceiling. Filtered light from the curtained doorway leaves the interior dim.
It takes a moment to locate the bar among the many counters crowded against the walls. This inn seems more a miniature market than a tavern. Old books overflow on a table next to a counter covered with cheap-looking necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Wispy scarves embellished with tiny shining coins hang on a rack in a corner. The bar is found in the opposite corner: a tall, narrow table, its legs hidden by a cotton skirt patterned with faded yellow palm fronds, its surface covered with colored glass cups, bronze decanters, and an assortment of liquor bottles. A low stone ring at the end of the bar marks an indoor well.
The Tooth & Hookah seems a popular place. Almost all the tables were occupied, mostly by Garundi that can be quickly pegged as locals, but a few by foreigners. Little attention is paid to the party. A haze of smoke hangs in the air, the spicy scent of shisha tobacco thick combating the fresh, mineral smell of the well.
An adventuring party fresh from the lottery celebrates in a corner table, a group comprised entirely of women. An Ulfen woman with hair the color of the setting sun idly plays her harp, leaning down to occasionally scratch notes on to a piece of parchment. Next to her sit a pair of Garundi women. One wears clothing indicative a Thuvian nomad, a large falchion hanging from the back of her chair. The other is Rahadoumi, although clearly an exile from the atheist nation, as her wooden shield is painted with the blazing sword of Iomedae. Across from the trio is a a pair of matching Osiriani women, their features indistinguishable behind silken veils.
The next assignment for the lottery has been selected and the Scarabs have drawn walled estate known to the locals as the House of Pentheru. A sketched map provided by the Phasmarin priests shows that the manor is not far from Pharasma's Needle, an obelisk that marks the entry into the Necropolis.
The young man looks about the room, nodding to anyone who makes eye contact, before working his way to the least occupied table. "It seems we are destined to make acquaintance, as no other space seems large enough for our group. I am Meriui bin Mircea, a member of the Sand Scarab lottery group.
These are my companions." He looks at those already at the table, obviously waiting for a response.
Merutep heads to a table with her companions and enjoys a nice cold glass of water. She eats dinner there, tosses a few tasty morsels to Toothy, and then bids her companions goodnight.
Merutep makes the long trip home, wandering through Wati to the poor end of the Asp district, near the dyers of Mender's Row. She checks on her family, animately tells them all about her day, and then heads to bed.
The next morning after communing with Aya for her spells, Merutep's at the Tooth and Hookah, waiting with a bright smile to begin another day's adventures in the Necropolis with her companions.
Caius strolls into the Tooth & Hookah and smiles as he sees the packed room. "Ah...finally some rest and relaxation." he says to no one in particular.
He goes to the bar and purchases a glass of wine, handing the barkeep a gold piece, and leaving before getting his change.
He then makes his way over to the table with the Ulfen woman, taking a short bow before introducing himself with a smile.
"Hello. I'm Caius of House Jeggare a member of the Sand Scarabs. My I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" he says as he looks at the Ulfen lady.
= 27 Total.
He then looks to the others at the table. "And all you as well...I'm sure we could trade some stories over the next round of drinks, which of course would be on me." he says as he waves for a waiter and begins to pull out some coin.
He lifts his drink. "To the lost."
She flashes Caius a grin. "I'm putting together an epic on this lottery to bring back home. I'd love to hear what you've experienced."
Sandstone walls ten feet high enclose the estate, affording those who once lived inside some privacy. A two-story stone house is visible beyond the walls, adjoining the rear wall of the property. In the center of the estate's southern wall stands a pair of tarnished bronze gates hanging partially open. A pair of statues flanks the gate. Dusty hieroglyphs are carved into the wall at eye level to the left of the gate.
The statues depict two men of regal bearing, dressed in loose, short robes and traditional Osirian head cloths.
"Looks like a family affair. Unless it is a philosophy school and they both happened to be teaching around the same time."
Merutep reads the hieroglyphs for those who can't.
"This place is called The House of Pentheru." The she points at the statues one at a time. "This was Pentheru the Elder, and this was Pentheru the Younger." She smiles. "Father and Son, I imagine. Or two brothers of very differing ages, I suppose."
"What a fine home this would have been... Can you imagine it in it's glory?"
Aya nods her head, and then squawks at Merutep. Then she slightly glowing bird points her beak to the sky, clearly proud of herself.
Merutep laughs as if Aya has said something funny. "Yes, I'm sure you did..." she remarks.
For a moment, Merutep's voice trails away into silence, and her expression looks blank...
But then she blinks and the joyous smile returns to her face. She shakes her head and looks around again. "Beautiful."
She approaches the gate. "Shall we?" she asks with excitement.