You may dot in here.
**ptooey**
Followed closely by the braying sound of camel laughter.
Oloch just grins as he walks up by the braying camel.
"Hi marks for quantity, distance and velocity."
He then looks around for the other summoned pathfinders.
"May Our Lord in Iron find much joy and sustenance from the danger of this mission. Well met all. I am Oloch, warpriest of the Great Gorum."
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"Ha! How accurate is that 'cannon' of yours, Oloch?" A lithe half-elf dressed in a chain shirt steps forward. Her ease of motion evinces a strong sense of kinesthesia, but belies a lifetime of training resulting from a lifetime on a ship. She has a warm, sincere smile.
With a flip of her cape she offers a brief nod of greeting and respect to the adventurers present. "I'm Jirelle. I guess we're the crew assigned to this mission. Pleased ta meet'cha!" She beams at everyone.
Then, turning and winking at the camel, the swashbuckler says: "I'm glad we're on the same side, big guy!"
Looking around she adds, "Sun and sand. Well, this'll be different from Drenchport for sure!"
She laughs light-heartedly and steps back, eagerly waiting for the others to introduce themselves.
"Ha! How accurate is that 'cannon' of yours, Oloch?" A lithe half-elf dressed in a chain shirt steps forward. Her ease of motion evinces a strong sense of kinesthesia, but belies a lifetime of training resulting from a lifetime on a ship. She has a warm, sincere smile.
Using the quadratic equation, his intimate knowledge of parabolas and arcs of fire, as well as his strong sense of narrative irony, Bloody Evil Bastard takes aim and fires.
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"Oh hey, is that my ride? Eww. I'm senior squire 3rd class Apollyanna Sukino."
The young woman is dressed in blue and white with a intricately worked silver breastplate, buckler, and cold iron longsword in a scabbard at her hip.
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"Ha! How accurate is that 'cannon' of yours, Oloch?" A lithe half-elf dressed in a chain shirt steps forward. Her ease of motion evinces a strong sense of kinesthesia, but belies a lifetime of training resulting from a lifetime on a ship. She has a warm, sincere smile.[dice=Random target of random camel aggression - 1) Jirelle, 2) Oloch, 3) Apolllyanna]1d3
Using the quadratic equation, his intimate knowledge of parabolas and arcs of fire, as well as his strong sense of narrative irony, Bloody Evil Bastard takes aim and fires.
[dice=camel spit v Jirelle (ranged touch)]1d20+3
Jirelle stands resolutely before the camel and doesn't event flinch. Thanks to advanced laws of reality, the shot fails to touch the swashbuckler. Jirelle laughs heartily, "Nice shot!" In the meantime, the camel can hear the words "No PVP..." in the wind.
__________Jirelle nods at Apollyanna. "Pleased ta meet'cha!"
A man stands nearby, a stoic expression on his face. His dress clearly reveals him as a Shoanti warrior. He frowns and remains silent.
And they call us uncivilized.
Bloody Evil Bastard notes the presence of a fat blow fly 15 yards out. He adjusts for wind, and fires.
You were all summoned to Sothis, the capital of Osirion. You meet with Venture Captain Norden Balentiir in the Pathfinder lodge known as Sandswept Hall. The lodge is a two-story structure built out of white limestone blocks with copper-reinforced, wooden doors. Statues of two sphinxes flank the entryway. You enter and are shown to the garden housed inside the walls of the lodge. This area is designed to be a place of tranquillity amidst the bustle of the city of Sothis. You notice date palms, sycamores, and tamarisk; a variety of grapevines and hanging plants are also growing on latticework.
Norden is clearly excited as he begins. "Greetings Pathfinders, It seems we have another task at hand in the Osirian desert. News has come from the west. In the depths of the Osirian desert, a sandstorm has recently uncovered a mighty pyramid that was buried beneath the sand for ages! A travelling caravan heading north from the village of Safani to the city of Eto was recently blown off course while traversing through the Parched Dunes, due to unusually strong sandstorms. Much of the caravan was destroyed, but one of the survivors, a man by the name of Akenata, claimed to have seen a large pyramid protruding out of the desert. At first many thought that the old man was suffering from heat exhaustion and may have seen a mirage. However, a crumbling papyrus scroll found in the Great Library of Tephu contains references to the tomb of an ancient Osirian king known only as the Pharaoh of Sphinxes. I have reason to believe these are one in the same!"
He continues, "If this is indeed true then the sands of time have uncovered one of the few pyramids from the First Age of Osirion. The research I have conducted which contains references the pharaoh’s name found that the pyramid is rumored to be one of the few tombs that the Pharaoh Jetrieti V did not plunder during his reign more than 7,500 years ago. It has been lost for centuries, so the pyramid has not yet revealed its secrets. Even if this is not the tomb of the Pharaoh of Sphinxes, this revelation must be investigated!"
"Using the directions the caravan guide has given me, I have created a map for you and will be sending your team of Pathfinders to explore this area. Locate the pyramid and explore it depths. Bring back as many artifacts as you can find, as I have no doubt that Akenata has told his story to others. Word of the pyramid’s discovery has spread far and fast. Archaeologists, explorers, and tomb robbers from across the Inner Sea are gathering in Osirion’s taverns and inns to plan expeditions into the desert, each vying to be the first to plunder the tomb’s treasures. You must get there first. Fortunately, The Pathfinder Society is ideally equipped for such an event, so hopefully we have a slight edge. I have arranged transport for you. Remember you will be traveling in an inhospitable desert environment and very close to the eastern edge of the Footprints of Rovagug. So be vigilant in your travels as all manner of beasts roam those harsh desert sands. As you can surmise, time is of the essence." He looks at you all for a moment before asking, "Well, why haven't you left yet?"
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Norden is clearly excited as he begins. "Greetings Pathfinders, It seems we have another task at hand in the Osirian desert. News has come from the west. In the depths of the Osirian desert, a sandstorm has recently uncovered a mighty pyramid that was buried beneath the sand for ages! A travelling caravan heading north from the village of Safani to the city of Eto was recently blown off course while traversing through the Parched Dunes, due to unusually strong sandstorms. Much of the caravan was destroyed, but one of the survivors, a man by the name of Akenata, claimed to have seen a large pyramid protruding out of the desert. At first many thought that the old man was suffering from heat exhaustion and may have seen a mirage. However, a crumbling papyrus scroll found in the Great Library of Tephu contains references to the tomb of an ancient Osirian king known only as the Pharaoh of Sphinxes...."
"Oh!" exclaims the petite paladin of Shelyn at the mention of a word that she imagines is a healer's word for 'bum'.
"Well, why haven't you left yet?"
It's a sudden kick in the sphinxes, and Apollyanna jumps. "Er, you said you were arranging transport."
"Yes, right outside. So....why are you still inside here with me?"
Norden answers the questions with the patience of an eager child wanting to finish his dinner get to his dessert. "Jirelle is it? The sands are indeed a dangerous place. If the heat does not get you, there are giant insects burrowing under the dunes, rogue elementals, as well as the more mundane threats posed by 'civilized' races. Brigands and bandits and whatnot. However, the caravan route is long established, so if the gods are with you, the worst you'll face is the sun consistently shining down upon you with no relief or rain in site. "
"Quinn, while you may not have been in a pyramid before, you are a pathfinder, no? Tombs usually contain traps, guardians and occasionally remnants of the undead. Given the alleged age of the location, it is doubtful any of these things could still pose much of a threat."
"Ha!" Crowe can't contain a laugh at the Venture Captain's words. "You always think the threat unlikely, yet you are never there when the threat appears. You should undertake one of your own missions some day."
With a wave of his hand, he indicates that he expects no reply. He's spoken his complaint and knows it will not change anything. "How long to get to this pyramid, and how long do you expect our exploration to take?"
She is told by the handler that to get it to go she should yell at it and hit it with a stick. If she wants it to go faster she should yell some more and hit it harder. Then to stop it she should hit it with a stick and yell at it. He demonstrates.
"You Bloody Evil Bastard!" the man shouts.
The camel turns to look at them and then hock a gob into Apollyanna's face.
"Can anyone here cast a spell to help us endure elements, or use a wand with that spell?"
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"It being hot, are we provided with endure elements or the like, or should I use my sources to acquire a wand? I shouldn't like to overheat, you know." The small man speaks excitedly and quickly. Should they provide it, he is thankful, otherwise he'll grab a wand of endure elements.
"How many days' travel is it to the pyramid? We could save the wand charges till we think we're close."
Undeterred by Crowe's words, Norden continues. "Unfortunately, I was not able to procure any magical aid to assist you. However, You shall not lack for food or water. With the camels I have arranged, it should take less that half a ten-day to reach the pyramid. Well before other interests can make their way. You have food and water for three weeks and extra mounts for whatever you find."
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Purchases:
Jirelle has 124 GP. She'll buy:
- 2 flasks of holy water (2 @ 25GP/ea = 50 GP)
- 1 potion of cure light wounds (1 @ 50GP/ea = 50 GP)
- 2 flasks of acid (2 @ 10GP/ea = 20 GP)
- 10 pieces of chalk (10 @ 1CP/ea = 10 CP)
The swashbuckler will have 3 GP and 9 SP remaining. Anyone have any suggestions/requests?
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@Party: Do we have light sources? I have 3 sunrods; they provide light for 6 hrs each.
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@GM: Jirelle is a one-handed combatant. When we're at the site, she'll have a weapon in her main hand and a piece of chalk in her off hand. She will draw a numbered arrow every 20 feet (roughly) to indicate direction and sequence.
E.G.:
If we start by heading east: 1 --> 2 -->
Then north: 3 ^ 4 ^
Then west: 5 <-- 6 <--
Then north: 7 ^ 8 ^
etc...
If there are any hazards/traps, she'll also mark them clearly with chalk. Once the site is clear, she'll go back and make notes from all the chalk marks for the chronicle report. (We're Pathfinders first and foremost, right?) Unless, of course, we're in mortal danger and need to flee (or something similar)! :-D
Your journey through the desert was fairly swift. Norden procured camels for the team, and may have taken steps to make it difficult for other parties to find appropriate mounts. Four days was all it took to find yourselves before the recent discovery. An incredible man-made mountain, the pyramid rises out of the desert sands, a relic of an earlier age. Its limestone casing blocks are weathered from millennia of scouring sands, but the structure seems solid and intact. The exterior of the pyramid is featureless, with no doors or windows. A stone wall, buttressed by drifts of sand, surrounds the entire structure. To the east stands a squat stone building,connected to the pyramid by a long, covered causeway. No visible entrances to the pyramid’s interior can be seen. A rectangular building constructed of large stone blocks sits on the desert sands to the east of the pyramid. A wide portico opens to the east, its ceiling supported by two rows of red granite columns. A dark passage leads deeper into the temple to the west.
The pyramid of the Pharaoh of Sphinxes is nearly 160 feet tall and 250 feet square at its base, and is constructed of giant limestone blocks carefully fitted together without mortar.
Crowe lets Quinn's dissertation on the history of this and similar pyramids wash over him. Who cares how it's built, it's what might be inside that's the concern here. Scholars. So much in that head, and so little of it anything important.
He retrieves his everburning torch and begins exploring the room they're in, walking up and down between the pillars, seeking secrets the ancient Osiriani may have left behind.
A pair of carved and brightly painted granite columns support the ceiling of this darkened, roughly triangular chamber. To the east, stone statues of a regal man holding a crook and flail and wearing a striped cloth headdress stand on either side of the chamber, though the head of one of the two statues now lies cracked and broken on the alabaster floor. Two more stone statues depicting winged creatures with leonine bodies and falcons’ heads sit beyond.
The smooth granite walls are decorated with hieroglyphs and faded murals that depict loyal subjects and slaves presenting offerings to a pharaoh who sits on a gilded throne, flanked by winged, falcon-headed lions. A passageway to the west stretches off into darkness.
Crowe's sharp eyes spot an out of place stone. Quinn approaches and immediately realizes the danger it represents. With practiced hands, he pulls out tools and renders the ancient trap inert.
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Apollyanna holds her magic silver sword aloft for light.
"I see, I see. This is all very interesting. This all seems to be made of limestone carefully fitted together without mortar. What strange engineering. Indeed, this is the pyramid of the Pharoah of Sphinxes, as you can see the intericate details of the..." Quinn continutes for quite some time...
Apollyanna dozes a bit as Quinn speaks until he says the word that she thinks is sort of technical word for the place where the sun does not shine, and she wonders if perhaps she should have invested in a scarf for her nose and mouth. She's glad she has gauntlets.
Seeing the falcon-headed lions, Andracar remarks. "Oooh, sphinxes. I met a sphinx once. Though she wasn't a sphinx. It was a fabulous time! So many people died. That part wasn't fabulous, the rest was. A mystery! And a circus!"
"So y-you've 'met' a what, a false sphinx!?" she has to strain a bit to force the last word out while trying to simultaneously picture and not picture such a meeting. Apparently Andracar is a sphinx-man, natural enough given his height. But what did he mean by 'a circus'? She decides that she will not let him follow directly behind her.
Crowe looks at the murals, and waves his hand dismissively. "Old pictures. Stuff for fancy historians." He begins to explore the large hallway leading out of this room.
Shafts of sunlight shine down from slots in the ceiling of this long, straight corridor, illuminating the piles of sand that have accumulated beneath each slot. Elaborate carved reliefs, their paint now faded with time, cover the walls on both sides of the passage, depicting the legendary deeds of a great pharaoh.
This corridor is hundreds of feet long. You figured you have traveled nearly 400 feet.
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"Crowe, why don't you pass that thing over to me. You have your own heavy lifting to do." - Quinn referes to the large weapon on the Bloodragers back.
"Follow me everyone." - he pushes ahead of the group, using his cane to measure the floor beneath him as he works. Making sure that his trapspoter is ticking.
Following along for the journey, quietly keeping to himself for the most part, Oloch finally breaks his silence as they travel the long corridor.
"Quite a long way to go for an entrance. This is my first pyramid delve though. Are they normally like this?"