No worries Nevitash, I'm so far behind on posting it's pitiful, but tax season is kicking my ass. I will try and post sometime tonight.
Search Posts
Moonday, the 17th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- The party angles toward the sandstone pillar as the sun rises into the sky, and the day starts to warm up - though not uncomfortably so, at least not yet. They have covered about half the distance, with a bit more than a mile left to reach the base of the towering spire when they see a feathered head, followed by the extended wings of the roc thrust up above whatever structure is built upon the precarious perch. Immediately, the roc's sharp eyes pick out the party headed in its direction and it gives a shattering cry of what sounds to be a combination of anger and outrage as it launches out and upward into the air, its ivory wings stretching out eighty feet or more as it circles slowly, then dives at the trespassers below!
In Round 2, the diving rock will be in striking distance, let's say about 30' away or so at the start of Round 2. At that point, those that act prior to the roc can take your actions when it's still 30' away. Keep in mind this thing has some pretty terrific reach - you have some time to judge it as it dives on you, so know it's reach is 15' (it's size is 20' on the map). For the beginning of this round, it's currently about 350' up. It's Round 1 action is 'Run' (as a diving Fly action, of course), moving 4x its speed - or 320' total. Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Round 1 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Roc Unwounded [350' up] Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day] Francis 53/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 8 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enchantment bonus to weapon) for 8 hours] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 8 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+1 additional bonus to attack/damage rolls to Greataxe - enhanced enchantment bonus to weapon) for 8 hours] Urram 53/53 Khepri-Nef 52/52 Amenhep 58/58
LOL! Truth! For myself, quick OOC comments in the Adventure thread work fine for me - especially if it's a heads-up about the immediate post in a combat situation. I definitely like conversations about tactics, strategy, etc to be done here in the Discussion forum.
@Khepri That's perfect! Next time feel free to put that kind of info in the Adventure thread as a quick OOC note, doesn't have to go in this Discussion tab. It's easier for me to see there. Thanks again!
@Francis You are about two and a half hours away from reaching the base of the pinnacle. If you want to wait to cast spells until you are closer (like an hour out, or a half hour, whatever), just let me know now before you set out. @Khepri, a little more information on the dragonet please? And how it's approaching, etc? Are you all waiting for the report before you all head out? Thank you!
Moonday, the 17th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- Khepri offers a safe place to sleep, hidden from the eyes of anyone (or anything) that might pass through the area and the extra-dimensional space reached by climbing the knotted rope is room enough to accommodate the six adventurers - even if it's a rather cozy fit. From their protected perch with walls that are transparent from their own vantage point, the party makes camp and keep a wary eye in the direction of the spire as the moon - a handful of days away from full - illuminates the rugged landscape with its lambent glow. All is quiet though and the night passes uneventfully as the moon sets and the sun rises a few hours later - the dawn's light illuminating the tip of the stone pinnacle. There is no sign of the roc as the adventurers break camp and make ready for travel, but it's impossible to know whether the great bird is simply hidden behind the walls of the structure up there or if it might have flown off in the dark hours before dawn.
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Health Tracker / Adventure Notes: Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day] Francis 53/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 8 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enchantment bonus to weapon) for 8 hours] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 8 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+1 additional bonus to attack/damage rolls to Greataxe - enhanced enchantment bonus to weapon) for 8 hours] Urram 53/53 Khepri-Nef 52/52 Amenhep 58/58
@Nevitash Awesome, thank you for that! I tend to use the signature line a lot, so keeping that updated is much appreciated!
Love Warharmmer! Was playing online but it's hit a snag and is postponed indefinitely. If there's a slot still open I'll create a character tonight or tomorrow night.
Yeah, I know there's a warpriest ability that can add those abilities! But this spell can be useful for those who have a 'plain old' +1 sword with multiple abilities already imbued.
Magic Vestments works the same way, and I think you both have non-magical armor, so you get the entire bonus to that. I hadn't thought about the keen, flaming, etc aspect. So if you have a +1 weapon and invest in those added abilities without bothering to increase the base enhancement (i.e. that ever popular +1 Keen, Flaming, Human Bane, Axiomatic magical weapon with a cumulative +6 effective bonus) would still benefit from the 8th level and higher Greater Magic Weapon spell, getting that +2 bonus at level 8, +3 at level 12, etc. Pretty nice!
@Nevitash, I think that Greater Magic Weapon gives you a net +1 additional bonus to your already magical greataxe. So it's a +2 greataxe at the moment, but when the spell wears off it'll still be a +1 weapon.
Sunday, the 16th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- Urram identifies the creature as a roc, and he knows that they tend to be quite territorial. Perhaps the band of travelers it most certainly noticed was not worth the effort to mess with, or maybe it has more important matters to attend to. The psychic wouldn't be surprised if it had a nest up there, and if there are eggs or younglings as well, he knows that approaching could be very dangerous indeed. Francis seems ambivalent toward the majestic bird, and suggests that he memorize a few spells that could weaken it if it comes to fight. Khepri-Nef also voices the opinion that perhaps they should take a closer look at the spire, though perhaps it could wait until tomorrow. From this distance - six miles or so 'as the roc flies' - none of them can see enough details to make out what kind of structure is perched atop the spire, but getting closer might help. Those that have cast spells of protection are well aware that their magic will expire in another hour or so, and even though the sun has already sunk beneath a plateau to the west, the shadows that accompany dusk are still roughly two hours away.
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Health Tracker / Adventure Notes: Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day] Francis 53/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 1 hour; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enchantment bonus to weapon) for 1 hour] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 1 hour; Greater Magic Weapon (+1 additional bonus to attack/damage rolls to Greataxe - enhanced enchantment bonus to weapon) for 1 hour] Urram 53/53 Khepri-Nef 52/52 Amenhep 58/58
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
------------------------------------------------- Sobok hammers into the demon skeleton fiercely, and though the sharp-edged blade of the glaive isn't the perfect weapon in this instance, the power behind the blows is enough to break through bones (DR 5 = 24 + 19 + 22 [55 slashing damage total]), damaging the creature mightily. Fash continues to utilize his swarm of bony jaws, directing them at the demon skeleton and watches as they tear into the thing [32 force damage] as he contemplates whether these undead could be reanimated. The gnome figures it an unlikely scenario. Morrow seems a bit spooked by an invisible mage and can't focus on the skeletal demon enough to strike accurately with his blade. Reonnyn's eldritch blast is aimed well though [16 damage], damaging the skeletal behemoth further, and Gear - seeing that Sobok is nearly done for - soars over to heal the dragon shaman (38 HP healing) Reonnyn - a bit away from the whirling, clashing melee and at the double doors leading into the chamber - is able to hear the clanging of metal against stone behind him, and the halfling whirls to find that reinforcements for Vayne are on the way in the form of a heavily armored hobgoblin wielding a flaming longsword in one hand, surrounded by a half a dozen ape-like skeletons! Those in the chamber aren't yet aware of these new arrivals it seems, as Vayne uses his wand to instill the third and the last fallen demon with his necromantic magic, causing it too to rise from the floor. The one already standing slashes at Sobok with its strange weapon, opening up new wounds (39 damage) in his side and undoing the healing he'd received a moment ago - though at least this undead version of the demon isn't smart enough to use the weapon to try and pin his arms. vs DC 20 = Failure! HP of healing for Sobok = Success! vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
vs Sobok's AC = Miss!
---------------------------------------------- Round 6 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now] Hobgoblin Unwounded 6 Ape Skeletons All Unwounded Vayne Unwounded Undead Demon (Green) 103 damage taken Undead Demon (Blue) Unwounded Sobok 39 [61]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Vigor] grants a Fast Healing 3 to all within 30' - but only when at less than half their HP total; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 9 rounds; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 7 rounds] Fash 68/68 [Darkvision & Lowlight Vision; Cloak of Shadow (grants 20% miss chance (can Hide as though concealed), only True Seeing or sight in magical darkness can overcome this ability); Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Mirror Image (6 images) for 11 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 7 rounds; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)[/i] Morrow 56/84 [Darkvision 120' & Blindsight 60' (Norebo's Hand); Keen Edge (Crit range for Norebo's Hand is 17-20) for 110 minutes; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Fash and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 7 rounds] Reonnyn 82/82 [DR 2 / Cold Iron; +1 luck bonus to all saving throws, ability checks and skill checks (Luck Stone); Darkvision (Invocation); +2 to Fort Saves (Invocation); +6 to Bluff, Diplomacy & Intimidate checks (Invocation); Seeming (as Disguise Self) for 11 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Fash, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 7 rounds] Vegeir 48/119 [Divine Power (+18/+13/+8 BAB, +6 STR, +10 THP) for 20 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (extra +1 enhancement bonus to attack/damage to Holy sword) for 10 hours; Magic Vestment (+2 AC?) for 10 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Fash) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Fly (40' speed) for 11 minutes; Protection from Evil (+2 AC vs Evil, rebuffs physical contact and possession/enchantment) for 10 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 7 rounds ; Spells Cast by GM: 4th Level -
Sunday, the 16th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- The party skirts around the rocky desert plains and the strange, wind-shaped boulders - moving toward the craggy heights of the badlands to the northwest. They spend the next week or so exploring along the red rock foothills that makes up its southern flank, but they find no signs of a tomb. On the third day however, a massive sandstorm strikes from the south. The enormous wall of sand must have surely risen up hundreds of feet into the air, and had they been caught on the open desert they might have been in serious trouble. However, their proximity to the wind-carved walls of the red rock plateau gives Nevitash a good place to find shelter, and the adventurers are able to wait out the storm, which passes through the area entirely after about three hours. All without a single drop of water, of course. A few days later, the half-orc inquisitor also spots a large patch of quicksand - which turns out to be the lair of a giant lion that dwells just beneath the ground in a sandy pit meant to trap those that wandered too close. They catch sight of the creature's mandibles as they inch out from beneath the sand - each of them easily the size of a khopesh - before dipping back into concealment as the party makes their way around the soft patch of sand that measures nearly sixty feet in diameter. Then they angle into the badlands, which slows the party to some degree as there are more places to conceal signs of a pyramid here. The rocky badlands are riddled with twisting valleys, jagged rubble, and drifts of loose sand. The hills here rise up above the desert by several hundred feet in some instances, and climbing them is strenuous and time consuming. But after nearly a week of making their way slowly in a northeasterly direction, they have yet to find any signs of a pyramid or the like. But late in the day as the temperatures begin to subside a bit when the sun dips beneath a ridgeline to the west, the group sees what they take to be a large bird soaring overhead. It appears to be angling toward a high finger of rock that thrusts out of the red rock, the sides of the spire scoured smooth from wind and sand. The pinnacle soars some three hundred feet into the sky, and is composed of smooth, weathered sandstone. At the top is what appears to be some sort of structure, though from down here it is difficult to tell exactly what it is. The bird glides majestically toward the spire, and as it does so, the party gets some idea of the creature's enormous size. Perhaps twenty or thirty feet from beak to tail, with a wingspan more than twice that length, it spirals almost lazily to perch at the very top of the column before disappearing from view.
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Health Tracker / Adventure Notes: Elliander 26/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day] Francis 26/53 Nevitash 71/71 Urram 53/53 Khepri-Nef 52/52 Amenhep 58/58
Gah! I'll have to take a look when I get a moment. Maybe I was using that red x for something else. But at the moment, it's your location. As for Mount, yes you can feel free to use a camel instead of a horse. Seems very appropriate!
I should probably have those posted in the map legend somewhere... The red 'x' is where your party is. The grey lines was a route suggested by one of the party members to search for the tomb that is your goal.
Toilday, the 6th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- The night passes without incident, and in the morning Devin and the others bid farewell to the party and head across the shallow river toward Ipeq. The party continues on, in a roughly northwesterly direction along this tributary of the Crook River until it begins to dry up as the rocky desert climbs toward badlands that rise up in red sandstone buttes and plateaus to the northwest. To the southwest, the party can see rocky plains littered with huge boulders that have likely been scoured smooth by centuries of sandstorms. Continuing northwest to the rock-strewn foothills of the badlands, the party could skirt around rocky plains and the sand-scoured boulders, should they desire to do so.
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Health Tracker / Adventure Notes: Elliander 26/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day] Francis 26/53 Nevitash 71/71 Urram 53/53 Khepri-Nef 52/52 Amenhep 58/58
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
------------------------------------------------- Morrow heals some of his injuries (14 HP healing) and calls out to the others as Gear casts a spell that allows him the power of flight. Vayne laughs mockingly in response. "If you cannot see me, how do you expect to defeat me? Crawl back to your homes in your doomed city and wait for the armies of Iuz to crush your pitiful soldiers into dust beneath their boots." The mage activates the wand again, and another of the demons sheds its flesh, then staggers upright as dark energy brings the dead creature back from the Abyss.
---------------------------------------------- Round 5 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now] Vayne Unwounded Undead Demon Unwounded Sobok 37 [59]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 11 rounds; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds] Fash 68/68 [Darkvision & Lowlight Vision; Cloak of Shadow (grants 20% miss chance (can Hide as though concealed), only True Seeing or sight in magical darkness can overcome this ability); Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Mirror Image (6 images) for 11 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)[/i] Morrow 56/84 [Darkvision 120' & Blindsight 60' (Norebo's Hand); Keen Edge (Crit range for Norebo's Hand is 17-20) for 110 minutes; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Fash and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds] Reonnyn 82/82 [DR 2 / Cold Iron; +1 luck bonus to all saving throws, ability checks and skill checks (Luck Stone); Darkvision (Invocation); +2 to Fort Saves (Invocation); +6 to Bluff, Diplomacy & Intimidate checks (Invocation); Seeming (as Disguise Self) for 11 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Fash, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds] Vegeir 45/119 [Divine Power (+18/+13/+8 BAB, +6 STR, +10 THP) for 20 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (extra +1 enhancement bonus to attack/damage to Holy sword) for 10 hours; Magic Vestment (+2 AC?) for 10 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Fash) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Fly (40' speed) for 11 minutes; Protection from Evil (+2 AC vs Evil, rebuffs physical contact and possession/enchantment) for 10 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds]
Every year I forget how bad January gets for me at work. This battle in particular has a lot of moving parts and I need to be in a good headspace to run it. I'm just going to call a hiatus until February when things get somewhat back to normal for me. I apologize folks, and thanks for your patience.
Combat is over and your two newest party members have officially been written into the game! January is more than half over, and I'll hopefully be able to post a bit more frequently now.
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- Amenhep finishes the wounded gnoll with a thrust of this spear (-24 HP), then steps over the corpse and badly wounds (-23 HP) the one facing Elliander - which the duskblade finishes off (-34 HP). The spiritual guardian swoops in to defend Francis, its weapon driving deep into the wounded gnoll's chest (-16 HP), killing it! The cleric stabs at the remaining gnoll with his dagger, slashing its side (-11 HP) and its bicep (-12 HP) before Nevitash finishes the slaver off with two fell swoops of his greataxe (-43 HP total). The sandy rock surrounding the party is stained with blood - mostly that of the dead gnolls and their hyena pets - and the adventurers move toward the slaves, who mostly seem dazed and exhausted, but thankful for the rescue as their manacles and chains are unlocked with keys found in pouches carried by each of the gnolls. Though the dozen or so captives hail form various towns and settlements, one of them knows that they aren't terribly far from the city of Ipeq, which lies a few dozen miles to the southeast across the river. After some discussion, Devin offers to escort the group himself. The half-orc's interest in finding this hidden tomb has begun to wane, and he likes the idea of seeing a new town and perhaps finding employment that utlizes his bard talents. Two of the slaves are much more than they first seemed, though...
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Health Tracker / Adventure Notes: Elliander 26/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 5 (of 10) damage this day; Bull's Strength (+4 to Strength [+2 to attack/damage rolls with melee weapons] - enhancement bonus) for 7 minutes; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] Francis 26/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enhancement bonus to weapon) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Spiritual Ally for 4 rounds] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Shield of Faith (+3 to AC - deflection bonus) for 7 minutes; Spiritual Weapon for 4 rounds; Divine Favor (+2 to attack/damage rolls - luck bonus) for 2 rounds] Amenhep 58/58 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds]
Sorry folks, holidays got the better of me and now work I'm getting crushed at work. Going to try and get a post up in the next day or two!
Urram and Khepri, feel free to introduce yourselves in the Discussion tab. Shouldn't be too much longer - though take a look at my latest comment there, since January is a rough month for me at work. Urram, are you out there, my friend? If I don't hear back by the end of this coming weekend I'll likely make the offer to another player. Thanks!!
Welcome back, Amenhep! My regulars probably know that January is a rough month for me at work, so my apologies to all (including the newcomers) if my posting rate is subpar this month. I remain busy through mid-April (yes, I work in a tax office!), but I'll keep things moving along as best I can during that time. I do the payroll, 1099s, W2s, etc so January being Q4 and YE both tends to drain me quite badly, moreso than the rest of tax season.
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- Amenhep stabs at the more wounded foe (Red) he faces, taking it down as his spear thrusts clear through its neck (15 damage), spaying blood across the paladin's armor. Elliander abandons the magical cloud and instead lays into his foe with Biter, and though the sword strikes two deep wounds into its chest (27 damage total), the electricity - fueled by the duskblade's magic - causes the gnoll to stiffen in anguish (24 electricity damage) before it drops to the sands in a smoldering heap. Once again, the divine spiritual guardian moves to attack the wounded gnoll, striking a fairly solid blow (5 damage) that seems to stagger the creature, but still it stays on its feet. Francis slashes with the dagger, but the gnoll catches the blow with the handle of its whip, knocking the weapon to one side. Nevitash cleaves into one of his foes with almost reckless abandon, the first strike chopping deep into its shoulder (42 damage), but his follow-up misses, and the half-orc fails to finish the terribly wounded gnoll. To his left, the spiritual weapon slices into the other injured gnoll (12 damage total), wounding it further. Devin circles around to the north of that same gnoll, still calling encouragement to his allies as he strikes again with his longspear, but the gnoll dodges the attack. The gnolls maneuver a bit (5' steps) and then attack with their whips and scimitars, one of them strikes at Elliander - the spiked teeth of the whip slashing a deep wound in his bicep (14 -1 damage) and the blade slashes brutally into his side (12 -1 damage). Nevitash's armor protects him from the assault, but Francis is also struck a glancing blow by a scimitar (9 damage). Oddly, the weapons of the gnolls seem quite heavy, packing a very nasty punch! = Hit!
= Miss!
vs Elliander's AC = Hit!
vs Nevitash's AC = Miss!
vs Nevitash's AC = Miss!
vs Francis' AC = Miss!
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Round 5 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Elliander 26/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 5 (of 10) damage this day; Bull's Strength (+4 to Strength [+2 to attack/damage rolls with melee weapons] - enhancement bonus) for 7 minutes; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] Francis 26/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enhancement bonus to weapon) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Spiritual Ally for 4 rounds] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Shield of Faith (+3 to AC - deflection bonus) for 7 minutes; Spiritual Weapon for 4 rounds; Divine Favor (+2 to attack/damage rolls - luck bonus) for 2 rounds] Devin 59/59 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] 4 Gnolls 2 Unwounded; Blue -42 HP; Green -28 HP Amenhep 58/58 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds]
This was tough, as always. Based on what the party already has covered as far as skills and abilities, I'd like to invite both Khepri-Nef and Urram into the adventure. Thank you all for applying, and if I do get openings again in the next few months, I hope you'll be open to a PM. To my two new players, I'm sending you PMs shortly. I hope you all have a great New Year and that our paths cross on the board someday!
I'm not sure if Devin is coming back, so I might wind up bringing in two new characters from those that have thrown in their applications in the Recruitment thread. They'll be among the captives you'll hopefully rescue soon!
Holidays have slowed down the adventure, so the rescue of the captives (and the new PCs) will probably happen in a couple weeks. I'll shoot for having a selection by next Monday, January 5th. Depending on circumstances, I might wind up selecting two characters.
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- Again, the spiritual guardian slashes at the wounded gnoll darting away from it, connecting a bit more solidly this time (6 damage) as Amenhep finishes the wounded hyena (17 damage) attacking Devin. Elliander connects solidly with the sword (11 damage), killing the hyena before him. The spiritual guardian catches up with the wounded gnoll and strikes hard again (12 damage), as Francis uses his divine magic to heal his allies (+12 HP). Nevitash casts a Light spell to give his allies the ability to see - so long as they stay close to the half-orc inquisitor - but the spiritual dagger glances harmlessly off the armor of the gnoll surrounded by the mini-thunderstorm (11 damage). Devin moves up beside Aemenhep and digs the butt of the longspear into the sand, anticipating a charge. = Hit!
The gnolls howl their chilling battle cries, tossing aside their bows and drawing their scimitars and ugly-looking whips as they move to attack the two in the lead - Amenhep and Nevitash with their blades! But perhaps the burst of light from the half-orc's shield dazzled their eyes, for none of the gnolls are able to strike a solid blow! vs Amenhep's AC = Miss! vs Amenhep's AC = Miss! vs Amenhep's AC = Miss! vs Nevitash's AC = Miss! vs Nevitash's AC = Miss! vs Nevitash's AC = Miss!
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Round 4 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Elliander 50/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 3 (of 10) damage this day; Bull's Strength (+4 to Strength [+2 to attack/damage rolls with melee weapons] - enhancement bonus) for 7 minutes; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] Francis 35/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enhancement bonus to weapon) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Spiritual Ally for 5 rounds] Nevitash 71/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Shield of Faith (+3 to AC - deflection bonus) for 7 minutes; Spiritual Weapon for 6 rounds; Divine Favor (+2 to attack/damage rolls - luck bonus) for 3 rounds] Devin 59/59 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] 6 Gnolls Most Unwounded; Red -37 HP; Green -11 HP Amenhep 58/58 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds]
@Urram I'll take a good look at each of the characters in the next week or so. Posting has gone south during the holidays, so I've got some time. And I'm thinking I mentioned 7th level at some point? But you are correct, these characters should be 8th level. If you created a 7th level character, then level up! :)
@Marius Thank you for the breakdown, that looks great!
Oh wow, that was a total mistake on my part! I will say I started two games at the same time on this board, one was a 3.5 game, and this one was the Pathfinder game. I must have cut/pasted the 3.5 recruitment and didn't make the change. Too bad I can't go back and fix that... But yes, Pathfinder books only, please. If there's not an equivalent in PF, tagging the 3.5 is okay. If I have an issue, I'll take it up with you.
@namo Sorry, Variant Multiclassing wouldn't be an option here. I'd also disallow the 3.5 books, Pathfinder only. If there's something in 3.5 not available in Pathfinder that you'd really like to have, let me know and I'd consider on a case-by-case basis.
@Veniir Thanks!!
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
------------------------------------------------- Gear fights past the scythes and steps up to the skeleton, swinging his sword in a powerful arc (DR5 - 26 damage) that chips away a couple of ribs. Despite his grievous wounds, Sobok steps forward and unleashes a flurry of blows upon the skeleton, and through the skeleton's tough bones resist the sharp blade of his glaive (DR 5 - 27 + 18 + 27 = 72 damage total), still the power behind his strokes does a great deal of damage. The mindless skeletal creature turns to confront Sobok and unleashes its own attacks with the weapon it has begun to wield with more precision - perhaps now that it has become more familiar with this new body. Though the dragon shaman is struck once (21 damage), he manages to thankfully avoid its other blows - still Sobok is now bleeding profusely from several deep wounds. vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
vs Sobok's AC = Miss!
vs Sobok's AC = Miss! vs DC 20 = Failure! Fash continues to focus on his spell, redirecting it at the skeletal demon, the jaws of force shredding (30 damage) what's left of the undead monster, leaving it to fall to the floor in a heap of bones. The whisper gnome casts another spell, allowing himself to see invisible objects and creatures, then steps up to the threshold and takes a look around. He is startled to see nothing else in the room, however! He does, however, take note of the three balconies overlooking the chamber some twenty feet up, each of them encased in a half dome of reflective, silvery metal. Morrow finds no foes, save for Vayne - who seems very real to him, despite being told the image is an illusion. The duskblade...
---------------------------------------------- Round 4 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now] Sobok 37 [59]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 12 rounds; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 9 rounds] Fash 68/68 [Darkvision & Lowlight Vision; Cloak of Shadow (grants 20% miss chance (can Hide as though concealed), only True Seeing or sight in magical darkness can overcome this ability); Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Mirror Image (6 images) for 11 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 9 rounds; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)[/i] Morrow 42/84 [Darkvision 120' & Blindsight 60' (Norebo's Hand); Keen Edge (Crit range for Norebo's Hand is 17-20) for 110 minutes; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Fash and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 8 rounds] Reonnyn 82/82 [DR 2 / Cold Iron; +1 luck bonus to all saving throws, ability checks and skill checks (Luck Stone); Darkvision (Invocation); +2 to Fort Saves (Invocation); +6 to Bluff, Diplomacy & Intimidate checks (Invocation); Seeming (as Disguise Self) for 11 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Fash, Morrow and Gear) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 9 rounds] Vayne Unwounded [Notes] Vegeir 45/119 [Divine Power (+18/+13/+8 BAB, +6 STR, +10 THP) for 20 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (extra +1 enhancement bonus to attack/damage to Holy sword) for 10 hours; Magic Vestment (+2 AC?) for 10 hours; Telepathic Bond (telepathy between Reonnyn, Morrow and Fash) for 110 minutes; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes; Protection from Evil (+2 AC vs Evil, rebuffs physical contact and possession/enchantment) for 10 minutes; Hastened (+1 to attack rolls & dodge bonus to AC, +30' movement, extra attack when making a full attack action) for 9 rounds]
I'd stick with my ruling of no, I think. Sorry for that. The retraining concept seems geared toward characters whose players have changed their minds about certain decisions made as they develop their character from 1st level to higher levels - a perfectly fair thing to allow in my mind. But a familiar (i.e. creature) probably shouldn't get the same consideration.
I think as we get higher levels with buffs, magic items and other abilities it's getting tough for me to keep track of AC - even with my combat notes. Could I have all my players do me a big favor and, if the AC in your signature is not correct for any of these reasons, give me a "Current AC for This Round = X" in the first line of your posted action? That'd be a huge help to me!
I think as we get higher levels with buffs, magic items and other abilities it's getting tough for me to keep track of AC - even with my combat notes. Could I have all my players do me a big favor and, if the AC in your signature is not correct for any of these reasons, give me a "Current AC for This Round = X" in the first line of your posted action? That'd be a huge help to me! I'm counting Dim Light all over, so the cloud won't help any more than the moonlight you've got going. @Nevitash, I'm going to stick with my ruling that Spiritual Weapon attacks as a spell and not an extension of a weapon wielded by the caster. Sorry about that, it just fits with the way I've always handled that spell.
@Jacob I have no strong feelings about the fact you're running this campaign in the early stages, but honestly I'd prefer bringing in a player without that intimate knowledge.
@namo You're right, I missed that question about crafting. I suppose the PCs get downtime now and again, but for the most part it'd go unused, I think. As far as familiar feats, I'm guessing you're speaking of the feats gained as the master levels up? Such as Alertness and Improved Evasion? I probably wouldn't allow retraining of those, I consider them to be specific to familiars in general and would possibly open the door to some game-breaking actions involving the familiar. I do appreciate the interest you've shown and the questions you've asked. @All Perhaps I just need to establish what I'm looking for as a 'finished' character sheet - both for namo and for everyone else: Character stats, class(es), race, abilities, feats and at least the magical equipment. This way, if I have any questions or concerns, I can inquire about them. Also, some sort of very brief (a few sentences is just fine) about character background and description - just so I know what they look like and what they're doing here. What namo just posted is perfect for that. Since I'm looking specifically for an arcane-type, the completed spellbook would be nice, but at the very least an idea of the spells you are considering would be needed. Especially those that might come from splatbooks that are exotic and/or uncommon to most campaigns. The above is enough for me to make a decision on which character fits the campaign best, and also won't overwhelm me as a GM with regard to feats and abilities that I either don't understand (due to never having seem them in action before - a possibility considering the sheer number of splatbooks out there) or perhaps just don't like having been exposed to them before. Core classes I've obviously got no issues with at all, and a good number of splatbook classes, feats, etc fall into this category as well. But there are a number as well that I just don't really like, and would avoid, given the choice.
@namo Why would you need retraining when you're creating a brand new 7th level character? Not sure if I'm understanding the question. As far as 'finished' character sheets, I've had recruitments where I get 15 players all voicing interest with character sheets in the works, and I'm lucky if I get three in various stages of finalization by the time I'm ready to introduce them into the adventure. So yes, the character needs to be ready to be dropped into the game when the time is up. Again, I'm thinking another week or possibly two, depending on when the current battle ends and the adventurers rescue the captives. I mentioned next Friday, but honestly that's probably unreasonably optimistic on my part. More likely it'll be somewhere between Christmas and New Years, since posting rates will likely slow down over the next couple of weeks. Might even be right after the new year starts, for that matter. So you should have plenty of time, if you're truly interested in creating a character for this game. And again, please only jump in if you're interested in the long haul. It's discouraging to have players express interest, post for a couple of months and then disappear.
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
---------------------------------------------- The spiritual guardian slashes at the wounded gnoll darting away from it, scoring a glancing blow (3 damage) as Francis move up to attack the nearest hyena, though he stumbles and nearly goes head-first into the sand! Nevitash slashes at the hyenas in front of him, killing them both easily as the spiritual weapon does likewise with the hyena it wounded a moment ago. Devin moves to strike at the hyena nearest him with his longspear, the tip of the weapon gouging a deep wound (5 damage) into its shoulder. Elliander slashes Biter into the other hyena harassing him (18 damage), dropping it as he sends the mini stormcloud after the wounded gnoll, who is zapped again (11 damage) by the electric discharge. The gnolls continue to move forward steadily, this time splitting their attention between Elliander and Francis. Though the duskblade is able to avoid taking any wounds, the cleric isn't so lucky and is struck by three arrows (30 damage)! The two remaining hyenas also attack, one of them ducking under the longspear to bite at Devin while the other fixes on Elliander, and though the bard dodges the attack, the duskblade feels the teeth tear into his shin (DR 1 = 1 damage). Amenhep... = Confirmed Hit! = Hit!
vs DC 15 = Success! vs Elliander's AC = Miss! vs Elliander's AC = Miss! vs Elliander's AC = Miss! vs Francis' AC = Hit!
vs Francis' AC = Hit!
vs Francis' AC = Hit!
vs Devin's AC = Miss! vs Elliander's AC = Hit!
Player Handout - Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh Player Handout - Scrolls of Inquiry Excerpt Knowledge Gleaned about the Forgotten Pharaoh:
The funerary mask they recovered in Wati, known only to them as the Mask of the Forgotten Pharaoh actually belonged to Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, who ruled Osirion during the Second Age over six thousand years ago. References to Hakotep as the Sky Pharaoh recounted his ability to 'ride the stars by night'. Thanks to a few other obscure clues in the library, combined with their knowledge of history and the arcane, the party suspected this might refer to magic once possessed by the Shory, an ancient people said to have created great cities that flew through the skies thousands of years ago. The hidden Spiral Archive library revealed that Hakotep was involved in some ancient war, and he was convinced that an attack was coming from enemies who 'lived in cities in the clouds' - further solidifying the idea of Shory involvement. Apparently the Sky Pharaoh was seeking to find a powerful weapon to defeat his enemy, and there was evidence that he actually found this weapon - but the only details the party found were the remains of papyrus scraps depicting confusing geometrical patterns. A scroll was found describing Hakotep's tomb as 'having wings', part of the confession of a member of a group called the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, which also claimed that the Sky Pharaoh's heart and funerary mask were stolen from his tomb before it was 'lost to the skies'. This document indicated that these two items possessed pieces of Hakotep's soul, which were separated from his physical body. Hakotep's successor, Pharaoh Djederet II, ordered that members of this order were to be rounded up and questioned - but those scrolls were to be found in yet another secret library known as the Dark Depository. Having now found this second library, the adventurers have yet to find these Scrolls of Inquiry as they were called, but they located the journal of a Priest of Nethys who was either a member of the Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather or doing very similar research. The priest's name was Khnenti, and he was apparently obsessed with the mystery of the Sky Pharaoh. Khnenti wrote extensively about the funerary mask of Hakotep I, and that it also contains a portion of the Sky Pharaoh's soul, specifically his ka, which apparently fuels the magical abilities of the mask. It was also noted during their search of the room that all of the sarcophagi in the chamber they're resting in contain the remains of those that were being punished by being embalmed and mummified while still alive for various crimes involving the search for knowledge that had been deemed as protected by order of the pharaoh. And, in fact, the occupant of one of these sarcophagi was none other than Khnenti himself - a contemporary of Pharaoh Djederet II and apparently during the time period when the Scrolls of Inquiry were purportedly written. It is apparent to the party that these scrolls, and perhaps more information, are still to be found somewhere in the Dark Depository - perhaps in one of the other rooms they've yet to explore. As well, they hope to find the location of this Vault of Hidden Wisdom, where Khnenti indicated he stored his most precious research on Hakotep, including the Sky Pharaoh's 'darkest secrets'. Their research finally revealed the Scrolls of Inquiry, the scrolls proving to be both cumbersome and difficult to read, with most of the confessions meaning nothing to them. One transcript, however, does contain some useful information (OOC - see Player Handout #2 in the Google Slides for details). After hearing the others tell of this, Devin realizes he may have heard something about that. The half-orc bard recalls he heard some months earlier. The story went that an important and high-ranking priestess of Nethys was said to have discovered an artifact of some kind beneath Azghaad's Spire in Sothis. Her name, as he recalls, was Serethet - and soon after the discovery that had all the treasure hunters and nobility in the capital city of Osirion buzzing with excitement, the priestess disappeared. There were rumors that she had fled Sothis after being summoned to an audience with the Ruby Prince himself. Besides the grim contents of the scrolls, the party also discovered a collection of architectural plans detailing a series of tomb designs of incredible complexity. Each plan is labeled with a double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house. It didn't take long to cross reference the hieroglyph as the signature of a very famous architect from the First Age of Osirion, a talented man called Chisisek. There is also a note mentioning a meeting between Chisisek and the Sky Pharaoh, but nothing more is found on this topic here. It appears that the interred priest Khnenti possessed further research on Hakotep and the architect both, but these can only be found in the Vault of Hidden Wisdom - the third and hopefully final library in their quest for knowledge. The location of the Vault is secret, but there is a notable clue that "worthy scholars can find the entrance by casting their eyes from the summit of the Tower of Ra’s Glory at dawn on midsummer’s day." The party, however, is able to glean some knowledge from the corpse of Khenti using a Speak with Dead spell. And though the spirit of the long-dead scholar gives no further instruction on how to find the Vault of Hidden Wisdom, the question "Why is the Temple of Nethys hiding information about Hakotep?" elicits the answer of. "The Sacrosanct Order of the Blue Feather, a sect of the Temple of Nethys, sought to learn the secrets held by Sky Pharaoh Hakotep I, where he lay interred in his tomb. But the knowledge they gleaned was deemed too dangerous by Pharaoh Djederet II and the Order was charged with keeping it secret from all except themselves. For not even the Pharaoh, himself a worshipper of Nethys, would see valuable knowledge destroyed." The final question, "Where is Chisiek buried?" brings a strong response from the corpse. "Chisiek's tomb lies in the Parched Dunes, north of the source of the Crook River in the foothills of the Barrier Wall within a steep-sided ravine at the western edge of a valley hidden from those that are not seeking it carefully." The body of Khnenti even went so far as to turn its head to seek the eyes of the spellcaster, adding an addendum to its final answer. "Find the tomb of the architect who built the Sky Pharaoh's sacred pyramid. Finish my work!" After finding the third and final library, the PCs find the remainder of the journal of the Nethysian priest Khnenti, whose spirit they actually spoke with in the Dark Depository. According to the journal, with Hakotep’s ib and ka trapped in his heart and funerary mask, the third part of his soul, the ba, remained trapped within the pharaoh’s body in his pyramid. In order for the Sky Pharaoh to pass into the afterlife, the three parts of his soul — his ba, ib, and ka — must be rejoined. Khnenti goes on to speculate that reuniting Hakotep’s ivided soul might even return the Sky Pharaoh to life. The research also confirms that the architect Chisisek designed and built Hakotep’s pyramid. When construction was completed, Chisisek was killed and buried in a hidden tomb to preserve the pyramid’s secrets, but no plans of the pyramid seem to have survived. They do learn that the Sky Pharaoh’s pyramid was capable of flight, and when Hakotep’s body was entombed within, the
However, Francis found a text that confirmed that although none know the location of Chisisek’s tomb, his funeral was commemorated in a fresco in the Vault’s rotunda by the greatest artist of the age, Hor-hepu. This is the same fresco that was hidden behind the false ceiling, and in studying the fresco painted on the true dome of the rotunda, the PCs learn that Chisisek’s tomb - sealed with his double hieroglyph of an owl inside a house - is said to be located “across two bridges, where
Lastly, they find that the geometric shapes on the fresco are far more than just design elements; they represent a fantastic weapon of vast size used against winged cities populated with strange figures bearing weapons that launch black fire - clear refence to the ancient people known as the Shory.
-------------------------------------------- Round 2 & 3 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes: Elliander 38/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 3 (of 10) damage this day; Bull's Strength (+4 to Strength [+2 to attack/damage rolls with melee weapons] - enhancement bonus) for 7 minutes; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] Francis 23/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to Dagger - enhancement bonus to weapon) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Spiritual Ally for 6 rounds] Nevitash 66/71 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds; Shield of Faith (+3 to AC - deflection bonus) for 7 minutes; Spiritual Weapon for 6 rounds; Divine Favor (+2 to attack/damage rolls - luck bonus) for 4 rounds] Devin 59/59 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds] 6 Gnolls Most Unwounded; Red -30 HP 2 Hyenas Green is Unwounded; Red -5 HP Amenhep 58/58 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Inspired (+2 to attack rolls, +3 to damage rolls) for x rounds]
@Marius Sounds good, at the moment you are the only candidate with a completed character sheet, so you have priority at present! I'd forgotten that archaeologist bards are pretty different from regular bards, in that most of your abilities pertain to yourself rather than the party. That said, your bard and the other bard could probably work well together. Stay tuned!
@namo That works! Though probably just tombs in general, not Chisisek in particular. That secret was only recently unearthed by the party.
I'm not familiar with Psychic, but I've got no objections to it specifically. Just to reiterate though, I plan to select whichever character is most aligned to what I'm seeking for the party. An arcane-type, with a background befitting the campaign in which this adventure path is taking place. |