Mummy's Mask (Inactive)

Game Master Daniel Penfold 351

Seeker enters the foul smelling room, fully expecting to be attacked again.

Enter B22.
per: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Amid the rubble in the room Seeker finds a small rusted dagger, a handful of marbles and a small lacquered wooden box containing a board game. The game is worth 50gp.

Shukara breathes a sigh of relief as it becomes clear the room is empty. "Is that a Senet board? My father tried to teach me that game, but I couldn't seem to grasp the strategy."

She once again, (and with more than a little paranoia), checks to make sure her crossbow is loaded. "Guess there's only one set of doors left. Shall we?"

I'm assuming you are going on to the next room - B24

The walls of this room are decorated with a scenic vista of a river valley running through a desert, resplendent with verdant life and greenery near the shores. Only a few pieces of lacquered furniture remain in the chamber. A faint musty odour of decomposed wood and fabric lingers in the air.

Cyrmic; Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Sniffing the air with distaste, Cymric looks around from outside the door.

In the alcove to the east is the body of a human male, its flesh in an advanced state of decomposition. The head is missing but there are clumps of hair on the floor beneath the body's headless shoulders.

Knowledge planes

Cymric; Knowledge (untrained): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 planes

knowledge, planes: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

"We found the vargouille's body, eh?"

Ogochukwu you realise that the body is that of someone who was a victim of a vargouille.

On the body is a gold wedding ring worth 50gp.

I'm assuming you head on to the final room?

A large lacquered desk, now in poor condition, sits in the centre of this room. Bookcases stand along the eastern and southwestern walls, sagging as if ready to collapse at any moment. Their shelves have fallen out, and the piles of dust at their bases are all that remains of books and scrolls that failed to survive the long years. The lacquered wooden frames of what might once have been divans stretch along the north and south walls, but their upholstery has disintegrated.

Shukara begins rifling through the desk to see if anything has survived. "This place must have been beautiful before the plague." She casts a mournful look at the empty bookshelves. "It's too bad so much has been lost over the years."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Cyrmic; Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

Cymric goes to help Shukara, but the dust in the room clouds his eyes and he doesn't notice anything.

Shukara, you find a broken set of scales, the Pentheru family seal and scattered pieces from a marble chess set.

That was the last room so I'm assuming you are heading back to Wati?

Seeker also quietly laments the loss of the scrolls and books. Even if they didn't hold any special information, they were still valuable. He sifts through some of the broken parchments and wonders if magic could repair them, then signs "This appears to be the final room. Is there anything else anyone wanted to check?"

Sorry been busy. I don't think there's anywhere in the house I want to revisit.

Leaving the House of Pentheru you retire to the inn. You see that there is no sign of the Scorched Hand and are told they have not returned. Two of the other groups have left Wati completely after poor experiences on the first day.

Ogochukwu asks the innkeeper about the pretty, capable women he spoke to the other night as he settles in for a meal.

"Not a bad days work, eh Cymric?" he asks his old friend

"You mean Velriana, I'm afraid she hasn't got back yet."

Shukara rather awkwardly follows the rest of the party back to the inn. "So, um...how does this work, exactly? I mean, I wasn't originally planning on exploring the necropolis as part of an adventuring group, it just sort of...happened." And Eshe is likely going to have my head for it.

"Do we just...keep all the stuff we found? I don't know the rules here. And, um..." She looks even more awkward now. "I mean, I didn't exactly go after you looking to get paid, but..."

If you started negotiating with a customer like this, you'd be fleeced and rightfully so.

She bites her lip for a second, then stands up straighter and looks Cymric in the eye. (From her perspective he seems most likely to be responsible for the group's finances.) "I deserve a share. Of whatever it is we earned today."

Been sick as a dog the last week or so. Finally feeling well enough today to get back to my games.
@DM - Do you have a list, and selling price of all the things that we found?

"Yes Ogochukwu, a good days work indeed" replies Cymric to his friend.

"No worries Shukara. As the others just left, they forfeited their shares, so the four of us will either take what we can use or sell and split the proceeds."

@Cymric- hope you're feeling better.

Will try and get the treasure list and prices up shortly.

Treasure list for tomb 2 updated - see Treasure List link

Going to give you some time to do shopping, etc before we move on to the next draw.

Been out with a nasty cold for a few days. Think I'm over the worst of it now.

Seeker finishes writing his account of the dilapidated estate and slides it over to Shukara, turning to one of the first pages where he had recorded the sparse rules priestess Sebti had given them on the first day indicating that they did indeed keep the things they found. "Do you intend to continue on with us? You were of great assistance after the others had left." He signs to her after giving her a chance to read.

Shukara blinks as she stares at the rules. Oh. They do just keep what they find, and don't mind giving me a share. That was easier than I expected.

She starts mentally tallying the items they found and approximately how much they would be worth in the Wati markets. Then she does the tally again. And again.

...This little excursion earned me how much?!?!

Eshe was still going to kill her, but considering she'd just earned well over a thousand gold in a single day, perhaps this adventuring life was worth the risk.

"I'd...I'd like that. If you're okay with having me along." She tries, (and no doubt fails), to act casual.

The next day there is another draw and your group is given the task of exploring the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye.

You are told that the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye is an abandoned temple to Nethys built long before the Plague of Madness, but like the rest of the city's populace the temple's priests succumbed to the plague and the site was abandoned.

"You mean Velriana, I'm afraid she hasn't got back yet."

"No, I mean Sigrun Firehair and the Daughters of the Desert. Have you heard from them?"

--

"Of course you deserve a share Shukara. The gods brought you to us for a reason. And for that same reason, whatever it may be, you should certainly journey with us tomorrow! To discovery!" he says, raising a glass in toast.

--

"Isn't this Temple the one those other people wanted to explore?"

little refresher for us all

As you go over to the Scorched Hand their leader greets you and introduces herself as Velriana Hypaxes. Sher introduces the rogue as Idorii, the wizard as Azaz Arafe and the cleric as Khelru

"This inability to assign specific sites to people that requested them is ridiculous. We petitioned to explore a site sacred to Nethys but instead we were allocated what turned out to be a brothel! We easily dispatched a nest of zombies in the basement and even managed to recover a few minor treasures but generally it was disappointing.

Have you heard anything about an ancient temple called the Erudite Eye. That's what we are looking for.

Images of Scorched Hand added to images link

Ogochukwu you have heard of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. You know it is somewhere in Wati but you don't know where. It's an abandoned temple to Nethys which was built before the Plague of Madness. It is rumoured that it contains much in the way of secret treasure.

Seeker, you know that the Temple is somewhere within Wati but you are not sure where.

"We don't know where the Temple is, the organisers would know. As far as we know there's some kind of funerary mask in there that could be worth a lot."

Cymric you think she is telling you the truth but in all likelihood, not the whole truth.

"Oh Sigrun, yeah they got a bit banged up and are currently in the temple of Pharasma, being healed. It's probably unlikely they'll be around for a couple of days."

Shukara meets the party in the morning and watches curiously as the lots are drawn. "I guess that's fair. Not all the tombs are as profitable as Pentheru's, right? Although, a temple to Nethys sounds like it might have really valuable stuff. Magic stuff." She's practically bouncing with excitement as they make their way to the necropolis. What we found yesterday could cover a year's worth of expenses. Who knows what we'll find today?

Are you heading out to the temple?

"Oh Sigrun, yeah they got a bit banged up and are currently in the temple of Pharasma, being healed. It's probably unlikely they'll be around for a couple of days."

Ogochukwu stops in to the temple of Pharasma to check on Sigrun and her party. He asks how they're doing and how they came to be hurt. He wishes them a speedy recovery and doesn't say much about his own discoveries, trying not to make them feel bad.

That evening, or the next morning, he goes looking for a magical headband to help him in his adventures before going to the temple of Nethys.

After receiving their assignment, Seeker first goes to the libraries to research what he could about the new temple. He then heads to the markets to pick up a few supplies. If another group had been tasked the temple and failed due to injuries then this tomb was no doubt at least as dangerous as the ones they have already seen. His skin was strong but not indestructible so he purchase a wand that would grant him some level of magical protection. He couldn’t actuate the magical device, but he was sure someone else could.

Going to buy a wand of mage armor for 750 gold. I don’t think anyone has the spell on their spell list but I;m pretty sure Cymric will be able to UMD it well enough.

occultists are kind of UMD specialists. Ogochukwu is not not great yet due to low CHA but he can also try to activate it

Ogochukwu,Sigrun tells you that they were on their way back from their exploration area, an old warehouse that was practically empty when there was a sudden explosion, which she thinks was probably a spell. They were near the Sanctum of the Empty Eye at the time. The next thing they knew everything went black and they woke up on the temple steps.

Seeker, the records are scant and somewhat contradictory, however you get the impression that there is some lost ancient treasure within the ruins of the Sanctum.

did you mean Temple of the Erudite Eye, or is Sanctum of the Empty Eye a different place?

Ogochukwu meets the others at the rendezvous point. "This Temple sounds like an interesting place, eh? I wonder what treasures we may find there..."

Cymric shows up the next morning, sans leather armor. "I've turned in my armor, don't need it. Also, I bought a Wand of Cure Light that we can use in our travels. Now, lets get going to the Temple."

Apologies yeah its Sanctum of the Erudite Eye

You head towards the necropolis. The sun beats down on the lonely, silent streets of the necropolis. Dust and sand now cover the once bustling streets, and buildings that were once homes and shops are gradually disintegrating into rubble after centuries of neglect. Scattered throughout the ruins is the occasional palm tree or shrub, kept alive by the broken remnants of a long abandoned irrigation system.

Map updated - you are heading sw i.e. towards C3

Free of civilization, Ogochukwu readies his bardiche as the party approaches the temple.

Can everyone make Perception checks please.

Seeker is a bit surprised by the state of these ruins. There must be a better use for this land besides letting it go to waste. Letting a stone mansion stand is one thing, but these rotting hovels do nothing to honor the dead.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

Cyrmic; Perception +6: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Ogochukwu doesn't seem to notice anything so his player reluctantly opts to not cast a buff...

Seeker, you can see two people on nearby rooftops and an additional 4 people spread throughout the ruins (see map). It looks as if they have prepared an ambush for anyone who comes by.

not sure how many rounds we will have to prepare after Seeker gives a warning

We have a super secret silent siren system.

On seeing the probable bandits, Seeker halts the group with a silent gesture. Assuming the men in the ruins would not be able to understands him, he calmly signs out the situation to the others. 'How do you wish to proceed? Perhaps these are related to Daughters of the Deserts misfortune."

Ogochukwu signs "I will prepare myself and then we take the fight to them first"

Assuming we are warned by Seeker

Cymric nods at Seeker and the others, and begins talking about various non consequential things so he can go into his Comedy routine as soon as the fighting starts, "ready when you are."