The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

There was no response from the interior of the coffin.

After waiting a few more seconds, Astoroth opened the coffin.

Shoving open the lid of the coffin, you see a body contained within - but a few moments later, the desiccated corpse collapses into ashes that slowly start to drift through the air.

That was rather odd. The Radiant Pharaoh had repeatedly implied that her compatriots were still alive - or otherwise. And the Cerulean Pharaoh's body had been in much better condition than this. Something wasn't right.

My forewarned ability hasn't pinged, so I'm guessing there's no immediate danger from the ashes. Is there anything else in the coffin? Did the body appear mummified before it disintegrated? Is the coffin damaged?
Perception?: 1d20 + 17 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 17 + (3) = 25

Yeah, about that... XD

The body had definitely looked mummified before it had collapsed, and-

Ping!

"Danger is present." Astoroth barked out a quick warning to his companion before summoning a wind to disperse the ash. Mummies don't disintegrate when exposed to air.

Astoroth has the Breeze-Kissed alternate racial trait. As has been established for quite a while, it's active almost constantly. I'd like to use my standard action to expend it in the direction of the largest concentration of ash.

Bull Rush or Trip? Also, I believe you need to roll for that... XD

Heh. I'd just wanted to blow away the ash. Now I'm nervous. XD
Bull Rush: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Because flying creatures (which I'm now assuming this is) are immune to tripping.

Your blast of air shot into the cloud of ash - but rather than scattering it, your wind simply dispersed as the ashes swirled together. As they did so, each flake abruptly became black and jagged, becoming countless tiny hieroglyphic numerals as they formed into a large shape. It took you only a moment to identify the creature - it seemed like a Belker, an elemental of air and evil, but it was nothing at all like a normal member of its kind. Rather, it had become some sort of twisted undead, and it definitely wasn't friendly.

Init (Enemy): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Init (You): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

...Or especially fast, apparently, because you had another moment to act before it could do anything.

<"My apologies for disturbing your rest. I bring news from the Radiant Pharaoh.">

Move Action: studied combat
Standard Action: ready an augmented destructive blast if it attacks
If Necessary: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29 Bludgeoning Damage: 5d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (5, 2, 1, 2, 2) + 5 + 2 = 19
So, 23pts damage due to crafted blast

As it happened, your destructive blast was in necessary - and it wasn't even entirely clear if you could communicate with the figure, given its bizarre makeup. Normal Belkers, even undead ones, generally weren't made up of numbers... and it launched into an all-out assault.

Wing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 for Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Wing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Bite: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Claw: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Claw: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Behind you, you could see Kozuri preparing a burst of positive energy to try and intercept it if it tried heading out that way.

How far away is the ladder leading to the Radiant Pharaoh's chamber? And approximately how long does it look?

*Updates map* Like that. Note that Belkers are large creatures, so it basically takes up that room. The shaft goes all the way down to the level below, so quite a distance... more than two move actions at your full normal speed, much less a slower climbing speed.

I'd been considering luring it down the ladder, teleporting away, and letting the Radiant Pharaoh take care of it. ;-) New plan....

The creature seemed disinclined to talk. Oh well. Stepping forward, Astoroth lashed out with a powerful uppercut.

Inspired Unarmed Strike: 1d20 + 11 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + 11 + 2 + (3) = 19 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 2 = 15
If that hits, Fort DC 17 vs Knockout

Swift: renew my temp HP

As an undead, it's immune to most effects requiring Fortitude saves. You sure you wanna use that?

Missed that change. I thought it was still an Outsider. Just a normal unarmed strike, then.

Your blow struck the creature squarely under the jaw, and it let out an angry roar before moving forward to envelop you. As it did so, a surge of jagged hieroglyphs started trying to pour down your throat-

Fort DC 25: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (20) + 17 = 37

-but had no luck at all as they tried to cut you from the inside. Behind you, Kozuri focused, then let out a blast of channeled energy as support.

Channel Positive Energy: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 1) = 8

Is the channel set to heal the living or hurt the undead? I'm assuming the latter but want to make sure.

The light breeze swirling around Astoroth easily blew away the encroaching hieroglyphs. He responded with a pair of punches before backing away. The cramped spaces on this floor should help limit the creature's movement. "Miss Kozuri, back up before it strikes you."

Flurry: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 2 = 14 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 2 = 12
Flurry: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 9 + 2 = 15 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 2 = 11
Then 5ft back (already edited the map)

Hurt Undead. You're still in pretty good shape, and she's helping as she can. ^^

At your request, Kozuri backed up - and the creature, having smoothly dodged your punches, responded with another full series of attacks to take advantage of its size and range. The ease with which you'd thrown off its attempt at engulfing you seemed to have discouraged it from trying that again...

Wing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Wing: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Bite: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Claw: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Claw: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Despite its frenzy, though, it was unable to land any further blows on you, and it let out a howl of rage as your winds kept it at bay.

Easily slipping away from the frenzied attacks, Astoroth calmly retreated and fired another powerful gust of wind.

Augmented Destructive Blast: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24 Damage: 5d6 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (4, 6, 5, 6, 6) + 5 + 2 = 34

The undead Belker's body flexed somewhat... then simply fell, thousands of tiny hieroglyphs collapsing to the ground before slowly starting to dissolve.

Things look safe now - and the inside of the tomb contains a black marble statuette of a scorpion (50 gp), 4 swan boat feather tokens (a fleet of papyrus reed funeral ships), a bead of force, a jet-stone carving of a barbed devil (100 gp), a ring set with a golden yellow topaz (500 gp), and 56 ancient gold coins (112 gp in total).

Are any of them magical or trapped?

The Feather Tokens and Bead of Force are, of course, quite magical. XD The others are mundane. No traps. Would YOU trap the inside of your coffin if you were planning to come back? XD

Depends on how paranoid and/or crazy I am. ;-)

On a different note, have we explored everything? I'm pretty sure we have but wanted to make sure I'm not overlooking something mission-critical before we leave.

You've explored... pretty much everywhere. Not the area right around the Radiant Pharaoh, but otherwise, yeah.

After storing the various sundries in his extradimensional pocket), Astoroth turns to his companion. "I believe we're done here. It's time to return to civilization."

Where, presumably, our patron will get in touch with us.

"Oh good, you're alive!"

The woman who'd met you at the auction before seemed genuinely happy to see you, and had a notebook ready, along with several pressing questions, including:

"What happened with the pyramid?"
"What did you find inside?"
And towards the end, "How would you like to pay the ten percent you owe?" (She had a bit of a grin on that one - it had been their price, after all, but they seemed willing to accept anything from normal coin to the equivalent in recovered objects.)

Astoroth indicates the mask. "When brought to the other pyramids, this summons a larger one. Presumably, it normally resides in a demiplane somewhere. Getting inside requires flight or teleportation, as the entrance is approximately 300ft off the ground. Inside, there are four levels linked by a long shaft. Travel between them is facilitated by a golem. 'Kahotep' can understand simple commands in the Ancient Osiriani language. Each level is home to one of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension. The lowest level also contains a vast treasure horde. The guardian dragon has been taken care of, but retrieving the treasure will require a team and a large amount of storage. A portable hole, for instance. The Cerulean Pharaoh's corpse resides there. (here, he hands over the scepter) The Fiend Pharaoh is on the next level (where we entered) and is stored in many canopic jars. Higher up is the Radiant Pharaoh's residence. She's taken on new life as a rather-intelligent mummy, by the way, and won't appreciate being disturbed. The highest level of the pyramid was home to the Pharaoh of Numbers. He'd become a rather interesting Belker variant and was quite hostile. Of more relevant interest, however, was the massive countdown clock. It's still active. There's also a telescope that's observing Aucturn.

"If you send others to explore further or retrieve the remaining treasure, they'll want to be mindful of encircled runes. I destroyed several, but at least two remain intact: one inscribed on the golem's foot, and one on a lens of the telescope. Also, again, the Radiant Pharaoh remains in the pyramid. Show her deference, and she may not attack. Her current interest is in retrieving the Pact Stone. It's the reason she's remained sealed in the pyramid, and if she can get the Pact dissolved, she intends to bring Osirion to its former glory."

He'll pause for questions at appropriate times, of course. He'll also give Kozuri a chance to interject/add anything she desires.

"The place seems anchored... pretty firmly, too." Kozuri noted at the end. "If you're worried about it causing a bit of havoc... and it might... you might want to look into ways of sending it back where it came from."

The member of the Society nodded thoughtfully, having taken notes throughout the process. "Good job with the golem, by the way." she said, having asked about specific commands. "That's the sort of thing that really helps. I think I know a way to expunge those runes, too..." she closed her book with a snap. "You've done very well indeed. I'll take this scepter in for analysis, and put in a good word for you at the Grand Lodge. If you ever end up working with the Society again, I think you'll find a few more doors open." she offered one hand.

In addition, you've leveled up. By now, I'm sure you know the drill. XD

Astoroth returned the handshake. "I wouldn't be opposed to that."

Next up, methinks, will be researching the Pact Stone.

Fortunately, the city you're in is a major one - and what little information people have has been carefully collected and archived. None of the texts you studied seemed to know exactly what the Pact Stone was, though most clearly assumed that it was a rock of some kind. What they all agreed on was that it was some kind of powerful magical artifact that had been used to tie the fates of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension together, based on the scraps of information from the few codices that had survived long enough to be referenced. In their early years, they'd been the heads of four competing dynasties, none of which had been able to triumph over the others (in part because if they focused on one foe, the other two would certainly pounce). Only after using the Pact Stone to join forces did they set aside their rivalry, beginning one of Osirion's most legendary ages of prosperity.

However, there was no information on the Pact Stone's location. The pharaohs had explicitly banned all mention of its location, or so much as writing it down... and in the many centuries that had passed, its location had been lost. Of course, that probably wasn't going to be enough to stop the God of Information-Gathering from locating it anyway... for what was lost knowledge if not something to be gathered once more?

Any ideas for how you'd like to start doing that? XD

Is there any information about the ritual itself? Or, perhaps, some information about Aucturn and its connection to the Four Pharaohs? Other notable pyramids that have been discovered over the years? Locations of particular significance to any of the Four Pharaohs? Could a Pathfinder Lodge have information that the general public isn't privy to? What if Know Secrets was used on the Cerulean Pharaoh's corpse?

On an unrelated note, has my leveling update been approved?

There was no information about the ritual the Pharaohs actually used - most likely, it was a secret known only to them.

It was known that the Pharaoh of Numbers had quite the obsession with Aucturn, although what he'd actually learned ha long since been lost. It was possible that the Pathfinder Society had information on the location of the Pact Stone - you'd have to actually go and ask, of course, and that was assuming they'd tell you anything. Know Secrets could be used on the Cerulean Pharaoh's corpse - or that of any of the other pharaohs - and notably, you wouldn't have to go find it again to use your power, since it could be used from anywhere.

Didn't realize that last part. Makes the ability quite a bit more useful, although I assume I need to have at least seen the target before.

With surge of power, Astoroth focused on the lingering vestiges of the Cerulean Pharaoh's spirit.
Activating Know Secrets
- Where can the Pact Stone be found?
- Why didn't you elect to join your fellow Pharaohs in undeath?
- In your opinion, how would the Radiant Pharaoh attempt to regain power if the Pact was ended?

It's based on the Legend Lore spell, which basically means you at least need to know of the subject, or you won't really be able to ask a detailed enough question to get an answer. XD Divine Abilities are very powerful.

For the briefest of instants, omniscience was yours. The Pact Stone was located in a pyramid known as Ahn'Selota, East/Southeast of Sothis - a place that was even now the subject of a digging expedition, although the people who'd uncovered it didn't know what they'd found. The data filed into your head, giving you a mental map of its location.

The Cerulean Pharaoh had elected not to become undead, for he wished to await his journey to the afterlife - or resurrection - in the tradition of his ancestors. Mummification, but not undeath, was a part of that... and even now, his spirit was deep within Pharasma's realm, awaiting either judgment or return. A dark shadow appeared across your knowledge as your thoughts trended in that direction - your search for information was approaching Pharasma's domains, and she veiled such knowledge of the future - as the most powerful of the gods, she had the power to do that, too. Fortunately, there was no threat there, and the darkness vanished as you moved on to your last query.

The Cerulean Pharaoh seemed to be under the impression that the Radiant Pharaoh would try to renew an ended pact as a way of protecting herself from an assault by any other leader. Of course, her first goal would be to restore herself to true life, for undeath seemed to have unpleasant effects on the Pact. There was... something about renewing it each year...? Here, too, your knowledge seemed to be shrouded somewhat, for you couldn't seem to find any further information about the Pact Stone itself or how its powers truly worked. It was as if there was simply a gap in the knowledge of the universe - not a veil, but a hole where there should not have been, covering all details of the object itself. Deciphering its location was apparently the limit of what your ability to find knowledge could uncover.

In this case, the LACK of knowledge about the Pact Stone was especially interesting. Even in his present, weakened state, such a thing was practically unheard of. Much like the erasing of his own quest for divinity. That took the work of a god ... or something greater. It also meant that Astoroth would be heading to Ahn'Selota. Not being able to know something was, after all, the anathema of everything he represented.

"Ahn'Selota, Miss Kozuri. That's where we're headed next. Have you heard of it before?"

Kozuri rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Nope." she answered, apparently having watched you enough to not bother asking how you pulled names out of thin air. "...There's way too many points of interest for me to remember them all." she added, a bit apologetically. She wasn't even from this world to begin with, much less an expert on its interesting sites.

Astoroth hadn't expected the Ifrit to be familiar with the site, but it never hurt to make sure. She'd shown an interest in learning, and such people often held surprising amounts of knowledge. "It's another lost pyramid that's only recently been discovered. The Pact Stone is there, and I'm most interested in finding it. We'll depart in the morning, so feel free to spend the rest of the day as you wish."

Pretty sure we had lodgings set up before the previous pyramid excursion. I'm considering doing some shopping and will put up a list in my next post.

You certainly have the time to shop. XD Should it be relevant, Sothis is a Metropolis, with a Base Value of 25,600 GP, a Purchase Limit of 150,000 GP, and... well... pretty much all spellcasting is available. XD

Kozuri nodded, and said something about going to find a bath - sweat and sand could make you pretty grimy when you were traveling through the desert and not protected by a natural aura of wind.

Nothing's really jumping out at me equipment-wise. Shopping's always been my least-favorite thing. ;-) Question for the future: do I need to possess spheres/talents in order to craft spherecasting items? I know it's required for wands (and a few other things), but if I wanted to (for example) improve Book to a +4 INT bonus, would I need access to the Enhancement sphere?

I'm ready to proceed.

Aside from a few rare exceptions, the only thing you need to craft something is the appropriate feat and the right materials - and you've got Crafting Mastery for the feat. You do, however, take a DC penalty for each requirement you don't meet, and note that Spherecrafted items are 5 points harder to begin with. Those penalties can add up, and since you usually want to Take 10 for crafting... Speaking of, you might want to pull an Iris and look for useful, low-level powers to start crafting into your Book. XD A Third Eye of Karma (from The Secrets of Adventuring, a 3PP book) might be a good choice to start with. Sort of a last-ditch effort to take down your foe if they deal too much damage or would drop you.

Getting to Ahn'Selota isn't particularly difficult once you know where it is - or, at least, getting to its general region isn't hard. The dig site sitting right atop it is something else all together, and you can see literally hundreds of workers literally shoveling and carrying sand away, towards a truly enormous pile growing in the distance. It doesn't look like they've reached the pyramid in question yet.

"...Woo. More pyramids. Would it kill them to use literally anything else around here?" Kozuri muttered.

Good to know. And since I just remembered that I can re-slot items by increasing the crafting cost, I'll start improving Book when I'm back in civilization. :-)

"The triangle is the strongest and most stable shape. In addition, a pyramid can be built three times taller than a cube using the same amount of material. For something you want to last an eternity, there's no better design choice."

So the pyramid remained buried for the time being. Time to find out how far along this expedition was....

How close can we get?

"Yeah, but I'd like to go into something else for a change." the girl sighed. "Too much of a good thing, y'know?" She sounded like she was just venting because she had nothing better to do, though - she'd clearly follow you in.

It didn't look like it would be hard at all to approach the camp - there were guards posted around the perimeter, but visitors were likely welcome, especially towards the administrative side. Now that you were getting closer, you could see that the pit itself was mostly a work area - southwest of it was the main workers' camp (probably full of slaves), while the northwest area had some distinctly nicer-looking tents. There were plenty of options here, from disguising yourself as a worker to trying to get hired as someone who could explore it first.

And as you got closer, you could feel a slight, almost imperceptible tugging from the Book of Truths, like it was trying to get closer to the pyramid...

Time to gather some more information about the goings-on. "I'm going to scout ahead and will return in ten minutes." He imposed the time limit on himself to reduce the chance of his companion creating large quantities of art and revealing their current position. Transforming into an air elemental, he began a sweep of the camp.

Elemental Transformation is really useful. XD I'll be staying high enough that I shouldn't be noticed unless someone's actively watching the sky. If needed, I have a +15 Stealth mod plus any applicable distance penalties. I'm hoping to see how far along the excavation is (is the pyramid visible?) and who's in charge. That'll let me figure out the best way to approach this.

It doesn't look like the top of the pyramid has been uncovered yet, but there's definitely something down there, and they're clearly planning around that. A fairly steady stream of people are moving to and from one of the largest tents in the nicer camp, and while it's impossible to say whether or not the person truly in charge is there, it certainly looks like an administrative center.

As promised, Astoroth returned just under ten minutes after he left, landing near Kozuri. "They're close to unearthing the top of the pyramid but still have some ways to go. That gives us quite a bit of time. Instead of hiding out here and attempting to sneak in later, I favor a direct approach. This dig site is being run in an orderly fashion, and I wouldn't be surprised if the individual in charge would be interested in hiring a pair of experienced tomb delvers to scout ahead and clear out any guardians or traps. Even if they thought ahead and already have a team, we have first-hand experience with the Four Pharaohs' other structures. Insider knowledge is always appreciated."

"Except when they just want to get the information and murder everyone else." Kozuri muttered. She brightened a moment later. "On the other hand, you basically punched a dragon to death, so I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever they try. And..." she tapped her horns. "People in places like this tend to respect these."

Between the two of you, it didn't take long at all to get to the main camp, talk your way past the guards, and get into the main tent. Most of the activity seemed to be focused around a large table, and you had to wait in line for almost thirty minutes before you were finally allowed to approach.

"And your issue?" the person in charge asked bluntly, not looking up from a report he was reading. (It didn't seem to be an insult. He hadn't looked up for the last three people, either.)

He's clearly a busy man, and Astoroth had no intention of wasting his time with meaningless small talk. "No issue. I'm merely curious how much experienced your advance scouting team is. As you know, the interior of these pyramids are usually well-defended, and the Pharaohs of Ascension possess some rather interesting ones. Does your team know about the encircled runes, for instance? Or the command words for Kahotep?"

He had no idea how connected this individual was, but that should be sufficient to make him at least look up.

He actually did look up at that - to raise an eyebrow. "The nine Hells are you on about?" he asked. He didn't seem to believe that either of them was relevant to the pyramid being dug up... and in fairness, it was entirely possible they weren't. The curse of the encircled runes might not have applied anywhere outside the four Pharaohs' tomb.