The Pathfinder Society has shipped you to Wati, where the Asp and Crook Rivers converge to form the River Sphinx in southeastern Osirion, to explore its necropolis, and even with the local official's approval this time! With the necropolis opened by royal decree, the priests of the local temple of Pharasma, the Grand Mausoleum, have been tasked with assigning sites ready for exploration to adventuring companies in a lottery. The Society has already registered your team for this lottery, and will be covering your room and board during your time in Wati. Thousands of years worth of history and treasures await!
Per VC Norden Balentiir's instruction, you arrived at the Sunburst Market to participate in the lottery drawing.
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.
Numerous adventuring groups stand in small clusters near the stage, made up of multiple nationalities and races. Most keep to themselves, but some teams engage in quiet conversation with other teams, mostly speculating about what they’ll likely face in the necropolis.
|
A youngish human walks up to the group, ”Pathfinders right? I’m your local guide and priest, Angus. And before you ask, yeah you do stand out. Mix of races and a big stone dude is not that common here. And I would know, some of my parentage isn’t from here either. You get used to the odd looks eventually. Anyway, I’m looking forward to this opportunity.” His voice is smooth but there is an underlying tense-ness to this interaction.
If familiar with human ages, Angus looks to be in his twenties. Loose flowing locks and a square jaw line give him and handsome (for a human, again) look. He looks fit and carries a longbow as his most obvious weapon.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
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...
In –1608 AR, Pharaoh Djederet II ordered the construction of a grand city to mark the birthplace of the Osirion’s greatest natural resource: the River Sphinx, springing from the confluence of the Asp and the Crook. With its early foundations magically laid by the church of Nethys, the city sprang to life within just a year. Named Wati, the riverside town soon dominated trade across southern Osirion. Hardwoods and spices from Katapesh and the Mwangi Expanse bound for Sothis, and manufactured goods and luxuries from the nations surrounding the Inner Sea bound for Osirion’s southern territories, all paused long enough in Wati’s warehouses and markets to make its citizens famously wealthy. For centuries, Wati endured through political upheaval and the births and deaths of entire dynasties as it dominated its younger sister cities of An and Tephu.
But Wati’s destiny was forever warped in 2499 AR, when the cult of Lamashtu unleashed the Plague of Madness among the city’s thriving populace. Many of those whom the fever did not immediately kill were driven to murderous insanity, and within months, more than half the city had fallen in painful, anguished death. Most of the survivors fled Wati to make new homes elsewhere, but a stubborn minority remained behind, determined to reclaim their city. But even once the plague had run its course, their livelihoods collapsed as An and Tephu took over Wati’s once-exclusive trade routes, and their floundering community struggled against recurring outbreaks of the undead from the city’s many abandoned buildings-turned-tombs.
It took almost half a millennium for Wati’s fortunes to reverse thanks to the church of Pharasma. With the tacit permission of Osirion’s Keleshite sultan, a Pharasmin priest named Nefru Shepses marched on Wati in 2953 AR with a small army of alchemists, masons, and morticians under his banner, intent on consecrating the entire city to the Lady of Graves, beginning with a new, monumental temple to Pharasma called the Grand Mausoleum. Over the next 30 years, Nefru Shepses and his followers recovered the bodies of those slaughtered in the Plague of Madness from their hasty, makeshift graves and the Pharasmins walled off that portion of the city that had been abandoned, transforming it into a metropolis of makeshift tombs. Thousands of corpses were given formal burial rites and reinterred in this dead copy of the living city, which continues to serve as Wati’s necropolis today.
The consecration of the city and its necropolis revitalized Wati, and though it never reclaimed its dominance among the cities of the south, over the next 1,700 years Wati grew until its necropolis—once more than half of the city—took up less than a quarter of the city’s total area. Today, long after the necropolis’s completion, Wati continues to produce a great variety of grave goods for Osirion’s honored dead. A steady stream of burial figures, canopic jars, embalming fluids, prayer books, and sarcophagi sail downstream on the Sphinx, outpacing Wati’s crop and textile exports.
|
The brown haired woman also approached the group when she noticed the familiar pathfinder symbol displayed on some of their regalia.
”Greetings, I’m Ouita,” she introduced herself with a smile on her face and what appeared to be a kindly demeanor. A symbol of Shelyn was painted on her armor, which starkly contrasted with her wicked pair of blades and chain shirt.
She quickly turned to attention, listening to the High Priestess. She closed her eyes, hoping the lottery was kind to her. After all, she’d travelled so far….
|
"Torag's beard! Bless me win the lottery!"This dwarf mumbles in the crowd, "Joining the society is the greatest decision I've ever made! Tombs ! Histories! Treasures! Beers!"
When he rises his head, he realizes some people are introducing themselves."Oh! Sorry! I am a new agent here. My name is Ryan! Wish you all win the lottery with me!"
|
|
Angus’ shoulders drop just a hair with relief as the group simply begins introductions and start settling in for the lottery, ”Aight, good to meet everyone then.”
He listens to the long winded history lesson and as it winds down he comments, ”One advantage of not knowing much is that you learn something new every day. I don’t really care about all this history, but now at least I know it.” He gives a wry little smile.
The high prietess concludes her speech, “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.”
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. 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. A single representative of the chosen group is then summoned to the stage to present the token his group received at registration to one of the acolytes. Once the group’s identity has been confirmed, Sebti shows the representative the location of that group’s first exploration site on a map of the entire necropolis. She also gives the representative a smaller, sketched map that shows the site’s location in relation to the necropolis gates. Once a group has received its assignment, the process repeats with a new group.
"Next, the Pathfinders!" the acolyte calls out your group. Assuming one of you go up there and represent your group, the acolyte will reads out the name on the token, "Let's see......Tomb of Akhentepi......the House of Pentheru......and the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. Here's the map for Tomb of Akhentepi, when you are done with the first one, come to the Grand Mausoleum to pick up the map for the second one. You may enter the necropolis as soon as the gate open tomorrow morning. May Pharasma watch over you."
The priests of the Grand Mausoleum expect groups exploring sites within the necropolis to follow three basic rules, as mentioned by High Priestess Sebti the Crocodile in her speech during the opening ceremony.
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 conflict 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.
You may purchase supply in the city if you wish to do so before heading out tomorrow.
Wati Marketplace: Base Value 5,200 gp; Purchase Limit 25,000 gp; Spellcasting 7thBut your fame and wallet is probably more of a limiting factor than how much the local merchant is selling...
If you want to get spellcasting service before you head toward the Tomb, you can also do that.
|
Another Pathfinder is standing with you, albeit a little apart. He looks quite exotic both for you and for this country in equal measure. A snake's head, a scaly body, and attentive, seemingly cold eyes with vertical pupils. His Tien light armor and the katana he carries on his back give him away as a traveler from the easternmost lands of Gollarion. He keeps a low profile, carefully studying both his new companions and the situation in general.
After finalizing your preparations for the upcoming delve and enjoying a hearty bowl of ful medames at the Whispering Stone----the most popular tavern and inn in Wati, graciously booked by the Society—you set out toward the necropolis.
Navigating the necropolis with the provided map proves easy enough; your destination, the Tomb of Akhentepi, lies in the city's oldest burial ground in the eastern quarter. Local lore claims this tomb predates the necropolis itself—a relic from Wati’s earliest days, sealed long before the city of the dead ever earned its name.
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.
Fortunately, the heap of sand blocking the tomb’s entrance doesn’t stir or shift ominously as you approach—no curses, no sudden animation, no trap sprung. Unfortunately, the mound is quite substantial, and there's no getting through the sealed stone door without clearing it away first. Hopefully, someone thought to pack a shovel… or three.
|
|
As they head to dinner to plan the next day’s delve, Angus comments, ”You pathfinders are prepared, right? I’ve never done anything like this. All I have is a few blessings from Erastil and… I’m halfway decent at hunting with a bow. But I’m not very strong to carry extra gear and even if I was, I don’t know what to buy.”
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Nagaji approaches you and makes a polite oriental bow, bowing his head and folding his palms near his chest. Greetingss. My name iss Yoshi Arobu, I am a masster of the blade, now learning the way of art for the glory of the Redeemer Queen. Indeed, his armor is engraved with a symbol in the form of lips against the background of the moon, and there is another similar symbol on the handle of the katana. He looks you all over carefully with his snake eyes, and takes a longer look at Ouita. I ssee that you are following the ssame path of blade and beauty that I am. May I assk where you learned our martial art? You don't look like a tien.
After talking to another samurai in the squad, he turns to the young man. I think that no matter how we prepare, ssomething will come as a ssurprise to uss. At a minimum, I would recommend ussing crushing weaponss in case of a fight with sskeletal undead, and chopping weaponss in casse of a fight with zombiess... And alchemical lightss or ssomething like that, if we are attacked by a sswarm of insects or ssnakes. ...I'm sorry, the old warrior training makes me see the possibility of a battle in everything. Yoshi makes another slight bow, folding his arms over his chest again.
|
|
Angus smiles charmingly, ”Oh no, that’s fine. We may need an old warrior’s mentality. I have a variety of arrow types, acid to splash on things and can create light and water with a simple prayer.”
He checks his hip pouch and adds, ”And paper and ink to make notes. You all are about that, right? Recording your findings?”
|
|
At seeing the collection of the others, Ouita began to figure out she was the most experienced of the group, and had the gold pouch to match.
”It seems we need dungeon delving tools. Shovels, ropes, hammers and pitons, etc. maybe some acid to melt locks should we encounter them. Everyone go equip themselves, and let me know how much it is and I will pay for it.”
As the others head shopping, she pulls Yoshi to the side. ”You are right…I’m certainly not Tien. I met a traveler from that land while I was working at the Shelyn temple. I didn’t take much to attempting to be a priest, but the twin arts of the blade and fist came naturally to me for some reason. I have to admit, I didn’t expect another of us to be on this mission!”
The Sunburst Market in Wati sell two type of shovels, one is named brand and the other is not.
[u]The named brand shovel[/u] is 2 gold pieces, and weight 8 pound.
This tool lets you dig a pit at a rate of 2 cubic feet per minute. If a shovel is used in combat, treat it as a one-handed improvised weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a club of its size.
.
[u]The non-name brand shovel[/u] is 2 copper pieces, and weight 3 pound.
This tool lets you dig a pit at a rate of 2 cubic feet per minute.
.
There's also Traveller's Any Tool available for those with deep pocket.
|
|
Angus shops as well, grabbing a sack (1s) to carry stuff, a miners pick (3g), a shovel (2g), a hemp rope (1g) and a grappling hook (1g).
As the group heads to their designated area he holds up the bag, ”anyone able to carry this for me? It’s really slowing me down.”
He adds after the question about torches, ”I can pray for light, but if you want mundane options you could buy something.”
With the newly purchased shovels and supplies, it takes you about little less than an hour of sweaty labor under the desert sun to clear up all the sands, revealing the sealed door. On a close inspection, you discover that 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. There are no exterior handles to grasp, or sections to push on for leverage.
Through the combined effort of Ryan, Ouita, Angus, and the pick, the heavy stone door of the tomb slowly grinds open. A rush of stale, unmoving air seeps out from the darkness beyond. The chamber inside is shrouded in pitch black, untouched by time.
So torches are lit and Light spell is cast, pushing back the gloom.
This rectangular room is empty save for some engravings and fixtures upon the walls, a pair of heavy stone doors to the north, and an immense stone wheel against the south wall. The air is stale, and a layer of dust and sand covers the floor, lying in a thicker layer to the south. All four walls bear sunk-relief engravings and hieroglyphs, while small stone faces are affixed to the walls at about shoulder height in each corner. The stone wheel to the south is engraved with a large spiral and is set in stone tracks in the floor and ceiling.
The hieroglyphs on the walls are Ancient Osiriani and with the engravings, they describe the life of the tomb’s enshrined occupant, Akhentepi, a celebrated military commander who presided over the troops garrisoned in Wati prior to the city’s downfall. The hieroglyphs warn, “Akhentepi’s tomb is well defended, and those who defile it tempt the wrath of the gods.” An additional warning advises, “The only thing the Lady of Graves despises more than the grave robber is the unsuccessful grave robber,” followed by a final admonishment to “turn back while you can.”
|
|
As the others head shopping, she pulls Yoshi to the side. ”You are right…I’m certainly not Tien. I met a traveler from that land while I was working at the Shelyn temple. I didn’t take much to attempting to be a priest, but the twin arts of the blade and fist came naturally to me for some reason. I have to admit, I didn’t expect another of us to be on this mission!”
Yoshi bows politely after listening to the other samurai's speech. The wayss of thosse who combine the path of the blade and the path of art, realizing that both are different expressionss of the same inner beauty, are ssometimess paradoxical to the outsside mind. But thiss is also a manifestation of beauty and harmony. Let'ss thank the Redeemer Queen and the Lady of Chrysanthemums, as Shelyn is called in my landss, for crosssing our pathss. It will be valuable for me to fight sshoulder to sshoulder with a more experienced warrior of my sstyle, I will try to learn a lot from you. And he makes another polite bow, folding his arms over his chest palm to palm again.
|
As the party enters the tomb, another shadow falls across the entryway.
"I'm afraid this is starting to become a habit of mine" Mutters a smoky alto voice. "At least I've found you - and just in time for the fun part!"
Joining you in the first chamber is one of the most strikingly - even alarmingly - beautiful women you have ever seen, with features that suggest both Humanity and Elvenkind, but also...neither. Every motion and surface of her body, which is covered about as much by various large weapons and dangerous-looking tools as by clothing and armor, suggests barely-contained vigor.
"That was a fascinating history back there, wasn't it?" It is perfectly ambiguous whether she is sincere or not. "This town ought to have a motto: 'It's Great To Be ALIVE In Wati!'"
She then looks at the heiroglyphs with a sigh.
"It's Orvian to me."
Ryan deciphers those ancient language and translates to his teammates.
"Oh, good, someone actually knows..."
She laughs - a sound like cherries soaked in whiskey and set aflame - when he gets to the final warning. "Fair enough, Lady Pharasma, fair enough!"|
|
”What else should we pick up,” she asks the others. ”What is the groups’ torch situation?”
"I can see in the dark, so I have no need for a torch."
"Thanks, but I bet that there's more written here than just that, Ryan. Can anyone read these hieroglyphs - maybe with a spell? Might be important information. Hm, I wonder what this stone wheel might be for?" He wanders over and inspects it.
"Thanks, but I bet that there's more written here than just that, Ryan. Can anyone read these hieroglyphs - maybe with a spell? Might be important information. Hm, I wonder what this stone wheel might be for?" He wanders over and inspects it.
With no second door in sight, the team analyze the room for a way forward. Newt got a hunch that, if you guys roll the stone wheel to the side, there might be something behind it......
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Praise the rotational friction! The three have no problem rolling the massive stone wheel to the side, revealing the next room.
This square room is starkly devoid of any markings or adornment. In the center of the chamber’s floor, a square shaft drops straight down into darkness. A faint musty odor rises from the pit. A single piton has been hammered into the stone floor by the northeast corner of the pit, and a dusty length of rope dangles from the piton into the darkness of the shaft.
The rope extends only 5 feet into the shaft before ending, having been cut at that point. The rope is thoroughly rotted. The shaft is 10 feet square and an example of superior masonry, which makes it very difficult to climb......
|
|
Angus gives a frown and puts his bow away, ”Why even have this feature? You would think a tunnel would make more sense for a crypt. Not a shaft. Well, whatever I guess. I have a rope too.”
He pulls out a fifty foot length of hemp rope from the sack now carried by Yoshi and begins tying knots in it, spaced for climbing.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Angus suggests a plan that was wholly his idea and not mentioned (in character) by anyone else at all.
”Hey, why don’t I cast a Light cantrip on a pebble and throw it to the bottom. Those below can probably hear us anyway, so I don't think we'll attract any additional attention. Good plan right? I’m a pretty smart guy.”
:P
If no one opposes, he does the plan.
Those with darkvision can barely see the floor at the bottom of the shaft, it's only 60ft deep. The team prep the rope and descent down into the lower shaft room.
Mirrored images of a warrior in side profile, facing inward, are carved on an ornate pair of stone doors in the west wall of this square room. The figure is depicted wearing padded armor, with a scarab-shaped shield on the arm facing the viewer, and a raised khopesh held aloft in the other. A crumpled humanoid body lies directly in front of the doors. A hint of decay hangs in the air, and a dried stain mars the stone floor under the body.
The body in front of the doors is mostly skeletal, with a thin layer of desiccated tissue. Angus and Ryan can tell that the body belongs to a male human or half-elf who obviously died down here. Both of the body’s legs are broken from a fall from a great height, and the unfortunate man apparently crawled to the doors before he expired. The purpose of the shaft rooms becomes evident--they’re deathtraps without a mechanism. Creatures that descend the shaft without a reliable means to climb back out are effectively trapped, permanently.
darkv. 60ft (+2 Stonecunning)
The carvings on the doors depict Akhentepi as a younger man. The doors are unsecured, though heavy, and can be pushed open with a successful DC 10 Strength check.
Behind the stone double door is a corridor. The walls of this ten-foot-wide corridor feature bas-relief carvings of great battles. Armies with spears and shields clash at the direction of generals, while other leaders direct troops from chariots that are ruthlessly overrunning their enemies. Engraved stone double doors stand at other end of the hallway.
The engravings on the insides of both sets of doors resemble those in the lower shaft room, except that Akhentepi is depicted as an older man riding in a chariot. He carries the same scarab shield, but his other arm points at his own reflected depiction on the opposite door.
|
|
Angus takes an offered flask of fire and comments, ”Por guy shoulda bought a healing potion instead of these things. But I guess it’s our gain. Speaking of which, do you all have potions or maybe even healing wands in case there is trouble we can’t handle simply with ropes and muscles?”
He looks down into the next hall once it is open, ”Shouldn’t we uh… be checking for traps and such?”