Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Results of Vayne's previous casting of Bone Shards - Morrow is grazed by the bone shards (11 damage) and Gear is struck full on (22 damage)
Gear's Reflex Save vs Bone Shards:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 vs DC 14 = Failure!
Fash directs his spell at the remaining demon, several of the snapping jaws created by magical energy biting into it despite the creature twisting away to avoid the worst (17 damage) even as the beguiler hears Reonnyn's warning about the illusionary Vayne. The whisper gnome finds it exceedingly strange that the illusion is able to cause harm directly, and though the idea seems vaguely familiar to him, he can't recall the specifics. But it is clear that this illusion is still very dangerous, whether believed or not! Morrow steps up and hammers at the demon with his sword, and though his first blow barely misses, the duskblade deals a deadly amount of damage with the blade in his follow up strokes (37 +38 +14 = 89 damage!) Reonnyn launches a bolt of dark energy at the badly injured demon, striking it full in the face (17 damage), slamming it back against the south wall where it falls unmoving to the floor.
Vayne snarls then, and flourishes his wand again. "Oh, you are most certainly a dangerous group of adventurers aren't you? I should have known not to entrust Shyrath with such a critical task. But you shall not find me so easily defeated! In fact, you will not find these pitiful fiends so easily defeated!" As he finishes speaking, one of the slain demons shudders, then lurches to its feet even as its flesh sloughs off its bones, lying in a greasy pool beneath it. The skeletal demon snatches up its weapon, its horned skull seeming to grin at the party as it readies to attack!
Gear moves to attack the skeletal demon, and though it appears that the undead creature has retained the memories of how to use its strange weapon, it seems to handle it somewhat awkwardly, if still fairly effectively, as it intercepts the cleric with the pincers of the mancatcher, pinning him away and inflicting deep wounds (22 damage) into his sides as the scythes dig into his ribs!
Demon Reflex Save:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22 vs DC 20 = Success!
Skeletal Demon Weapon AoO:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34 vs Gear's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 7) + 10 = 22+Opposed Grapple Check:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (10) + 23 = 33 = DC to beat (see below)
We are starting at the top of the round with Sobok (who I moved back to his original position on the map.) @Gear, I need an Opposed Grapple Check (d20+BAB+STR vs DC 25) from you, please - if you win the roll, I will move you 5' closer and allow your previous attack to go through. If you fail, you'll need to make your own opposed grapple checks to try and Escape the grapple. Again, remember you can make one for each attack. @Everyone After more than an hour researching the Animate Dead spell cast by the wand using the 3.5 rules, I think I've got everything correct. It lost all its feats, which means it is no longer proficient with its weapon, and it lost its weapon focus for a net -5 to its usual attack rolls - a fact you can see ICly in the way it's handling the weapon now in comparison to the way it was previously. It gained Improved Initiative, which moved it above Fash but still before Sobok in the initiative order.
Round 4 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes:
Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now]
Sobok 58 [80]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 13 rounds; 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 10 rounds]
Skeletal Demon Unwounded
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 10 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 9 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]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
@Morrow Actually, if I'm understanding the spell Deflect correctly, it's an Abjuration spell that grants you a +5 shield bonus, correct? So that actually DOES utilize your Abjurant Armor ability (apparently, it's the only spell that does?) so you get the +4 on top of that for a total of +9 shield bonus to 'the next' attack, with a net bonus of +7 as it doesn't stack with your current +2 shield bonus. Does that sound right? In that case, your AC against that first attack by the demon should have been 28 if my math is correct - which would have been a miss with the attack roll of 26. Please confirm and I'll add 20 back to your Current HP!
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
@Fash, I meant to make a note in the last round to give you a chance to change your action if you wanted, given Reonnyn's announcement with regard to Vayne. As you kept your intent to cast Manyjaws, I'll have that affect Blue demon with this post, retconning to just before the demon's action in my last post.
I'm starting to get confused as to who has posted their actions for this round. Here's the list, let me know if this sounds right...
The demons acted last, and Fash's Manyjaws would have gone off just before that, so my next post will look like this:
Round 3
Fash's Manyjaws attack vs blue demon
Demon's Action
Morrow's attack (still needs to post) after taking 11 damage
Reonnyn's attack (already posted as the eldritch blast for 17 damage vs blue demon)
Vayne's action
Gear's attack (already posted, but I think you had to move 10' to reach the demon, in which case you only get a single attack - if I'm mistaken and you only needed a 5' step to reach it, don't forget your iterative attacks for a full round attack in addition to the haste attack you already made)
Round 4
I'll pause it here, as the situation will change so that Sobok will likely need to change his post.
So bottom line, I really just need Morrow's Round 3 action to make my next post!
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
@Morrow, I still need your attack for this round, unless I'm overlooking it? You are correct, your weapon bypasses DR - don't hesitate to remind me of such when you make your post, because my memory is awful... With regard to Lesser Deflect, that one is tricky. You got a net bonus of +2 from the spell (you already have a ring of protection +1), which brought your AC to 23 - not high enough for the demon's attack to miss. I think Abjurant Armor, as written, only works with the Shield spell. It's weird as hell that it specifically mentions Mage Armor, which is Conjuration school and not Abjuration? If you didn't wear armor, I'd just allow you to call Mage Armor an Abjuration school spell so you could benefit from that ability as described in the book.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Morrow steps forward and attaks the demon, connecting solidly with a couple of blows (DR 5 - 12 damage and 28 damage = 40 slashing damage total) Vayne makes a vicious, slashing motion with his wand and when Reonnyn - who is ready for the move - tries to target it, he finds the effort to be useless. The image of Vayne is an illusion! Still, the effects of the wand are certainly real enough as a swath of bone shards are expelled from its tip, slicing into the demon (red) as well as into Morrow and Gear (22 slashing damage - Reflex Save vs DC 14 for half damage!)
Gear breaks free of the demon's weapon and Sobok launches a furious series of blows against the wounded demon (DR 5 - 22 damage, 24 damage and 22 damage = 68 slashing damage total), dropping it in its tracks! Fash channels power into his runestaff and eases forward quietly, to a point where he can see Vayne again. The remaining demon, heedless of the destruction of his kin, steps away from Morrow and uses its weapon again, and though the duskblade is unable to dodge the first strike (20 damage), he evades the follow up blow - though the last one he twists away from only at the last possible moment!
Bone Shards:5d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 6, 3, 6) = 22 piercing damage (Reflex Save DC 14 for half damage)
Red Demon Reflex Save:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10 vs DC 14 = Failure! Takes 22 -5 = 17 piercing damage
Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #1):1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26 vs Morrow's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (6, 4) + 10 = 20 Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #2):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16 vs Morrow's AC = Miss!
Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #3):1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21 vs Morrow's AC = Miss! (Thanks to the +1 Dodge to AC from Haste!)
Everyone can post your actions, don't forget you are all Hasted! @Reonnyn, your stated action to try and disrupt the spell cast from the wand is just fine, and is the one I used for this round. Though it didn't work, you character now has some valuable intel on this illusory Vayne. Both you and @Fash can give me Spellcraft checks, please. I will presume you're warning the party about the situation?
Round 3 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes:
Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now]
Sobok 58 [80]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 13 rounds; 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 10 rounds]
Fash 68/68 Will Save pending! [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 10 rounds; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
Demon - Unwounded
[b]Morrow 44/84 (Pending -22 or -11 damage) [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 10 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 10 rounds]
Vayne Unwounded [Notes]
Vegeir 89/119 (Pending -22 or -11 damage) [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 10 rounds]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
1 hour after Sunset (sunset at 7:35pm; moonrise at 6:12 pm) waning gibbous moon.
The party creeps through the desert night, the sand giving way to hard packed stone as the land dips down toward the river. Surprisingly, even those with heavy armor are able to remain quiet enough to get much closer to the desert dogs and their canine-like masters than they'd thought they would. But as they close to within 50' or so of the perimeter, the nearest hyena comes suddenly alert and starts to snarl and howl, gaining the attention of the other animals a moment after a couple of the gnolls glance up and growl something in their own language, perhaps hearing or spotting the glint of moonlight reflected on metal out in the darkness. At the sudden noise of the desert dogs and the alertness of their gnoll captors, the chained slaves stir from their exhaustion to look up, peering into the darkness with trepidation even as the gnolls grab for weapons and the hyenas launch forward to engage the intruders!
Elliander is the first to act...
The new map is up, so let's have everyone except Amenhep give me your Round 1 actions! Amenhep, if you'd like, you can post your Round 1 next time when everyone else posts their Round 2 actions, since much might change when the hyenas and gnolls attack before you do. The gnolls were a bit further back from the perimeter, but with their higher Perception checks they detected something out of place at about the same moment the hyenas did with their lower result. Everyone please make sure I didn't miss an intended buff cast well outside of detection range, so figure 4 rounds have gone by since the spell was cast as you were moving stealthily and slowly in the near dark. @Francis, are you enhancing your mithril armor (which I see in non-magical, so you'll be at +2 to AC) and which weapon are you enhancing with the Greater Magic Weapon? Your dagger or crossbow? Also, I saw you wanted to cast Prayer, but didn't want to presume you cast it outside of the range of your foes. If you wanted to do that though, I'll retcon it and have it already cast - albeit only affecting the party.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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:
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (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]
Francis 53/53 [Magic Vestment (+2 to AC - enhancement bonus to armor) for 7 hours; Greater Magic Weapon (+2 to attack/damage rolls to ? - enhancement bonus to weapon) for 7 hours; Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes]
Nevitash 71/71 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes; Shield of Faith (+3 to AC - deflection bonus) for 7 minutes; Divine Favor (+2 to attack/damage rolls - luck bonus) for 6 rounds]
Devin 59/59 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes]
6 Gnolls All Unwounded
6 Hyenas All Unwounded
Amenhep 58/58 [Bless (+1 to attack rolls & saves vs fear - morale bonus) for 7 minutes]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
@Gear To my knowledge summoned creatures cannot make physical contact, and are forbidden from making natural attacks against anyone with the Protection from Evil spell. I do believe that's actually specified in the spell description. Since these are attack with weapons and not natural weapons, they wouldn't fall into this category.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Fash casts a spell to hasten his companions as the remaining demons attack, one stepping forward with its nasty-looking polearm to strike at Sobok, connecting with two solid blows (39 damage total) though its last - intending to pin the dragon shaman as it had been done to Morrow - fails to land. The other moves across the rune-scribed circle, which no longer glows dully, to engage Gear, striking the armored cleric as the scythes dig into his chest (19 damage) his arms pinned to his sides as he tries to wrest free (Grappled - DC 25). Reonnyn activates his wand, aiming it at Vayne, though there doesn't appear to be any effect (Reonnyn, make a Will Save please)
Morrow, who can now move freely as the demon's weapon clatters to the floor...
Red Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #1):1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26 vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 7) + 10 = 22 Red Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #2):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27 vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 2) + 10 = 17 Red Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #3):1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11 vs Sobok's AC = Miss!
Blue Demon Weapon Attack:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (6) + 20 = 26 vs Gear's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (4, 5) + 10 = 19+Opposed Grapple Check:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (2) + 23 = 25 = DC to beat (see below)
Everyone can post your actions, don't forget you are all Hasted! @Gear, I need an Opposed Grapple Check (d20+BAB+STR vs DC 25) from you, please. Note that you can only attack with a light weapon, and at a penalty. As you're out of range, you'd need to likely make your own opposed grapple checks to try and Escape the grapple. You can make one for each attack. Feel free to make an attack action as well, since if you break free with the first action, you can 5' step and make an attack with your second iterative attack action. @Reonnyn, I wasn't sure exactly what you're doing with the wand, could you elaborate? Either way though, please give me a Will save.
Round 2 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes:
Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now]
Sobok 58 [80]/132 [154 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 13 rounds; 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 11 rounds]
Fash 68/68 Will Save pending! [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 11 rounds; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
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 10 rounds]
Morrow 64/84 [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 11 rounds]
Vayne Unwounded [Notes]
Vegeir 89/119 [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 11 rounds]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Not bad at all, Francis! Again, mainly I'm trying to gauge a 'how far away is the group when the jackals hear you' type of scenario. If I get a low roll on Stealth, it might be 100' out or so (or even worse!) but if everyone rolls decently you all might get within 50' before you're noticed.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
I've got buffs, thanks for that! Go ahead and everyone give me Stealth checks and Initiative rolls too, as that'll determine how close you get before the hyenas spot you and start raising hell and we'll start Round 1 at that point. Then you'll know how far you have to go to charge, cast offensive spells, or whatever you want to do with your first combat action.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Sobok continues his rage-fueled attack on the demon in front of him, and though the first blow bounces off its thick, scaly hide the second slashes through its neck (-5 DR, 21 damage total), killing it!
Fash...
@Fash Your spell failed to affect Vayne, is all that Fash can discern.
@Morrow Yes, grapple rules in 3.5 are so convoluted. You ARE grappled for the moment, but post your actions as though you're not. Green demon is dead, if that helps you decide on your actions.
@Gear My bad! The Good overcame the DR, which didn't kill it on YOUR turn, but DID allow Sobok to kill it on his turn just now. Well done!
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
1 hour after Sunset (sunset at 7:35pm; moonrise at 6:12 pm, waning gibbous moon.
The party picks their way in the darkness through the desert steppes easily enough, angling toward the river and the party of slavers. As they draw closer, they note that the outriders have joined the main group - which now numbers six in total - and that a like number of hyenas prowl along the perimeter of the camp. Some 150' away from their position, a dozen ragged men and women lie on the desert sand, sharing what appears to be a waterskin and eating ravenously from tin plates they've been given from their captors. The half-dozen slavers are clustered nearby, growling and drinking from skins themselves as they cook something on a small campfire. some of the group (DC 25 Perception check) can see the features of the slavers by the light of the gibbous moon. Hunched and quite large, with canine-like snouts and legs that indicate they are gnolls.
You're about 150' away, and the camp is about 10' away from the river. Six hyenas guard the perimeter, about 30' away from the encampment and the gnolls, who seem preoccupied with drinking and preparing their dinner. The slaves are huddled together about 15' away from their gnoll captors. If you plan to get closer than this, I'll need Stealth checks, as the hyenas at least seem alert.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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.
--------------------------------------------
PC Health / Adventure Notes:
Amenhep 58/58
Devin 59/59
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
@Morrow - See my comment in OOC. Post for 2nd round as though you're free to move, though if you want to wait until after the demons take their actions, you can do that. In the meantime, please roll your opposed Grapple check IF you can actually beat the one below. If it's too high to beat, no need to bother doing so. The demon's Grapple modifier is in the stat block, and yeah, it's pretty high - but they ARE large, after all, and quite strong.
Demon's Grapple Check:1d20 + 23 ⇒ (8) + 23 = 31
As far as escaping a grapple in 3.5, I hate how complicated it is, but you can basically use your own attack action (or multiple attack actions, since you can take more than one attack action in a round) to make your own opposed grapple checks to break free. Or make an Escape Artist check, though you can only do that once, as it's a standard action. Here is the online SRD I looked up to refresh my own memory earlier today. And yet I still did it slightly wrong...
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
It's a special weapon that the demons have:
Snap-Tong This exotic weapon consists of crescent-shaped pincers arranged around a sharp spike on a pole. The pincers snap shut when the weapon strikes. If a rutterkin hits a Medium or smaller creature, it can attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If the rutterkin gets a hold, the snap-tong deals 2d8+7 points of damage each round the hold is maintained.
After a quick internet search, I found a better picture of your enemy actually holding one of these weapons. I deemed that their using the grapple effect wasn't terribly effective in most cases, especially when they get a full-round attack action - it's giving up three attacks that each actually do a bit more damage than the single instance of automatic damage the weapon does against a grappled opponent. I suppose it'd be handy if they really wanted to just hold someone for some reason and do a bit of damage as a bonus, but I think they'd much rather just make their three attacks for the most part. In this instance though, keeping a foe at bay with an AoO so they can't attack that round is ideal from a tactical standpoint.
Now that said, I realize I DID do something wrong in my post, as you pointed out. Not sure why I was thinking that its Grapple check was the same as the weapon attack, that's not true at all. In Pathfinder it's a bit easier with the whole CMB vs CMD thing. But in 3.5 (which is the ruleset for this particular game), it's an opposed Grapple check - so he should have rolled separately for that. I'm going to do that now, and you should roll your own. If you beat its grapple check, you aren't grappled and you can move and make a single standard attack, which I'll retcon.
So please roll your opposed Grapple check first, and then your action for the 2nd round. I'll give you a heads up that he won't be maintaining the grapple (if he lives beyond Sobok's action, which is unlikely), so post your action as though you're free to move.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Sobok steps forward and uses the glaive to strike at the brutish demon, and though both blows connect solidly, still the raging shaman knows that the creature is protected to some degree from the weapon he uses (-5 DR, 59 damage total). Fash casts a spell at Vayne, though it has no discernable effect... (Fash, please give me a Will save) as the whisper gnome slips back into the shadows behind the others and out of sight.
The demons eagerly crowd forward to attack these newcomers with hungry roars, and though they seem unwilling (or unable) to move past the dimly glowing outer circle as well as the inner ones, the one closest to Sobok uses its own reach weapon - a strange, crescent-shaped pincers mounted on a pole topped with a spike - as the other two launch similarly exotic, three-bladed wedges from a slinglike device at Gear! The dragon shaman is struck twice by the serrated blades of the scythe, which inflict deep wounds in both sides of his chest (35 damage total) and though most of the whirling blades miss the cleric, one slices (11 damage) into his left bicep painfully.
Reonnyn readies a wand as Morrow moves to step bravely across the glowing rune circle - though just before he gets there, the demon strikes at the duskblade with its strange weapon, the scythes inflicting a terrible injury (20 damage) even as the weapon catches him in its serrated jaws and holds him fast, just out of range of his weapon's reach!
Vayne, his face still twisted into an indolent sneer, laughs and calls out. "Oh my... here you are, standing in my innermost sanctum, and as helpless as babes to do me any harm. Why don't we set my pets loose so I don't have to bother feeding them dinner." He seems to concentrate for a moment, and then the dim runes running along the outer circle fade away as he slowly stands and draws a slender black wand from his belt...
Gear steps forward to engage the wounded demon and slashes his blade, inflicting yet another terrible wound (-5 DR, 32 damage) into the badly bloodied creature - and yet it doesn't fall, instead it snarls at Gear while continuing to hold Morrow in the pincer-like grip of its exotic polearm.
Green Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #1):1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38 vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 1) + 10 = 13 Green Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #2):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25 vs Sobok's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (6, 6) + 10 = 22 Green Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #3):1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 vs Sobok's AC = Miss!
Red Demon Weapon Attack (Standard Attack):1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 14 - 2 = 13 vs Gear's AC = Miss!
Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #1):1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 14 - 2 = 26 vs Gear's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d6 + 7 ⇒ (1, 3) + 7 = 11 Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #2):1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 9 - 2 = 9 vs Gear's AC = Miss!
Blue Demon Weapon Attack (Full Round Attack Action #3):1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 4 - 2 = 17 vs Gear's AC = Miss!
Green Demon AoO:1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38 vs Morrow's AC = Hit!
Damage:2d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 5) + 10 = 20 + Grappled! (see below)
Fash, I need a Will save, please. You can all post your actions as well. Morrow, normally I'd have asked for an opposed Grapple check (d20+BAB+STR vs DC 38) from you, but even had you rolled a 20 I don't think you'd have beat that DC - since a natural 20 doesn't mean auto success for a Grapple check, I don't think. Gear, in trying to figure out your AC, I don't think Magic Vestment does you any good as it's an enhancement bonus of +2 to your armor, which already has an enhancement bonus of +2. I'm coming up with an AC of 22 [10 +8 (armor) +2 (enhancement) +2 (deflection from Protection from Evil)], but let me know if I'm mistaken. If you could all give me these kinds of breakdowns for weapon attacks, AC, saves, etc on your character sheet it'd be really helpful for me, by the way. Thank you!
Round 2 - Initiative Order / HP Tracker / Combat Notes:
Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now]
Sobok 97 [117]/132 [152 w/ Rage] Draconic Aura [Power] grants a +3 bonus to melee damage rolls to all within 30'; Raging (+4 to STR & CON, +2 to Will saves, -2 to AC) for 13 rounds; Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
Fash 68/68 Will Save pending! [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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
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]
Morrow 64/84 [Grappled; 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]
Vayne Unwounded [Notes]
Vegeir 108/119 [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]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Decided now, the party begins to make their way toward the river, trying to anticipate roughly where they anticipate the slavers would end up by the time they reach the water's edge, based on their earlier pace. They are well aware of the outriders they saw as well, and as they close to within a half mile or so of the river, they can see movement along the banks, about 400 yards to the left. It's impossible to tell friend from foe at this distance, as the lack of light makes all the shapes indistinct, and still the adventurers keep a sharp eye out for those flanking scouts...
Everyone please give me a Perception check! You're roughly a half mile from the group of slavers, who appear to be traveling into the early night - at least for the moment. Assuming you are staying stealthy on your approach, you figure you can intercept their path in about ten minutes or so.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
Initiative order is in the spoiler below. If you've already posted your action, I'll stick with it when I make my post unless you change your minds. Reonnyn, if you want to wait you can go ahead and do so, but I'd rather post for everyone in Round 1 with my next post. I need Sobok, Fash and Reonnyn to post their actions for Round 1 - with Fash and Sobok reacting before the demons get to move. Note that the 'unknown' initiative is really OOC knowledge, so feel free to ignore until it becomes relevant.
Unknown ??/?? [Placeholder, PCs can ignore this for now]
Sobok 132/132 Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
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]
Morrow 84/84 [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]
Vayne Unwounded [Notes]
Vegeir 119/119 [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, et al) for 10 minutes]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Elliander is fairly certain there's a city somewhere to the south of here, but he isn't sure where it is, nor how distant. Perhaps one or more of the slaves would know, should the party decide to rescue them...
Didn't want to get too slowed down by this, so let me know if you intend to bypass the encounter entirely or if not, how you intend to proceed. Keep in mind, darkness is falling and those without darkvision or low-light vision will need to figure out how they plan to see. Rolling randomly below, it's a waning gibbous moon that rose about an hour ago, around 6pm, so you'll get a decent amount of light from that - enough to move cautiously and slowly without light at any rate if you want to go that route. Doing anything sneaky or dangerous will be at a penalty though, if you don't have better light to see by.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Fash fades back behind his allies, trying to stay hidden from the dark-haired man even as Gear and Morrow step into the chamber, each of them moving along the curved wall to either side of the door. Reonnyn calls out in challenge, along with the duskblade, and the human sneers as he answers. "I am General Vayne, and yet you still do not answer my question as you dare to step foot into my private sanctum. Thus I can only presume you are assassins, and you will meet with a deserving fate for those that would trespass against me."
As Sobok and Gear move along the walls, the demonic-looking creatures suddenly spin to face them, their cruel, deformed faces eager with hunger and bloodlust as they lunge to attack!
I'd like everyone to roll their initiative first, and then post your action. When I make my post, I'll roll initiative for the bad guys and then construct the initiative order and the first round of combat. Check below and make sure I've got all of your buffs outlined correctly going into this combat, please. Gear, a continual Protection From Evil ring such as the one I'm seeing on your character sheet would have to be a lot pricier than 4k gp, I think - probably at least 20k and probably more than that. For that, I'd allow a ring that you could activate 3x/day for 10 minutes a shot, and I'll presume you activated it prior to entering this chamber. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss, my ruling is based on taking a look at magic item creation rules, since it's a custom magic item and not something out of any sourcebook I can find. Fash, it looks like you cast Mirror Image on yourself going in, is that correct? I didn't understand your post made on 11/7 that I had it in my notes - that's usually a spell you cast either in combat or just before, if you're anticipating trouble, which I'm totally fine with here.
Morrow 84/84 [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]
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]
Sobok 132/132 Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
Vegeir 119/119 [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, et al) for 10 minutes]
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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Amenhep noted perhaps a dozen slaves - if that is indeed what they are. The paladin saw four large riders leading the chain, and two outriders. It was difficult to be certain, but he wasn't entirely sure they were human, perhaps some kind of humanoid - though he doesn't believe they were big enough to be called giants or even ogres.
Elliander wonders aloud what they'd do with the slaves, should they manage to free them from their captors.
I'll take a Knowledge (Geography) check from anyone, if you're trained in the skill.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Fash, the large circle looks like a summoning circle of some kind, but you aren't certain how it works exactly. Reonnyn, you aren't positive, but it sure does sounds like that voice you heard several days ago...
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
Fash slips into the shadows and into the room beyond the secret door, his eyes widening in surprise and more than a little awe at what he is seeing. The octagonal chamber is quite large, some sixty feet in diameter, with a domed ceiling about forty feet overhead. The bright, flickering radiance that illuminates the room emanates from a broad circle of fire on the floor, blazing from mystical runes scribed into the stone. Within this circle are three smaller ones, each defined by the same rime of flickering runes that glow with their own radiance, though not nearly so brightly. Halfway from the floor to the ceiling to the west, northeast and southeast are three balconies - each encased in a half dome of reflective, silvery metal - that overlook the chamber twenty feet up.
Within the large circle, three immense, deformed creatures roam restlessly, their hideous faces etched in snarling anger, their claws slashing at the air in useless rage. In the westernmost smaller ring sits a human male with stringy black hair and clad in dark robes, a gnarled staff lying across his lap and with a wand clutched in one hand. Despite the presence of the enraged creatures that nearly surround him, his expression is dismissive and somewhat distant - as though his thoughts are focused on something else.
Despite his stealthy entrance, the man turns his head in Fash's direction, his vague countenance becoming more alert and annoyed as he calls out to the gnome. "Who are you? Why do you disturb my study?" His voice rings with authority, though there is a whining, petulant edge to it as well.
Only Fash sees this so far, though everyone heard the voice call out. If you'd like to identify the creatures, please give me a Knowledge (The Planes) check. You can give me other Knowledge checks if you'd like, just let me know what you're studying.
Morrow 84/84 [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]
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]
Sobok 132/132 Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
Vegeir 119/119 [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]
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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
Hour of Sunset.
----------------------------------------------
The surrounding desert seems empty of any structures, but as the party starts looking for a place to camp for the night, the setting sun reflects the shallow waters of the Crook River to the southwest. But Francis and Amenhep spot something else in the glare. The cleric sees movement, a caravan of some kind? Amenhep's sharp eyes pick out more details though, even as the light fades and the river valley becomes cloaked in the shadows of dusk.
In the distance, maybe five miles distant down in the river valley, Amenhep discerns four large figures that appear to be armored and carrying weapons leading a chain of smaller, ragged-looking figures that shuffle through the sand awkwardly. Two more armed figures range alongside the group, perhaps a half mile out - clearly a flanking pair of scouts. The paladin deems it likely that the formation and shuffling movement of the figures being herded along by the four soldiers is due to their being shackled together by metal chains, though he cannot be absolutely certain from here. If they are slavers though, and if the scouts are paying attention to their surroundings, it's possible they are aware of the party's presence too...
Actions? Night is falling quickly in the desert, already the group you spotted is cloaked in shadow and they are about five miles distant - roughly where I've placed the X on the map - from your current position.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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.
--------------------------------------------
PC Health / Adventure Notes:
Amenhep 58/58
Devin 59/59
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
As Fash casts his second Knock spell, the metal blue door opens silently, revealing a passage just behind it. At the same moment, the gnome's magic affects the wall to his left, where the corridor seemed to come to a dead end. A large section of wall breaks away from the rest, revealing a secret door that the Knock spell also affected. Glimpsed beyond the narrow gap is what seems to be a very large room illuminated with flickering light...
Enter the corridor beyond the door, or check out the room beyond the secret door?
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Seeing a dark blue line in addition to the green one that covers the entire region. The dark blue line reflects the information gleaned from Elliander's and Francis' History checks. Would you all like to use that as your current direction?
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Francis and Elliander both recall that building monuments and pyramids especially require a lot of stone, and that many such structures are built in rocky areas such as canyons or rocky flats rather than in an area of sand dunes. There have been exceptions of course, but they are few and far between.
They both deem that the dunes surrounding could be skipped as part of their search, though if they come up empty they could revisit the idea. It seems much more likely that a pyramid especially would be built in either the badlands to the west, or perhaps the hard-packed sand flats closer to hand in that same direction, or even the rocky hills north of the badlands.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
There are no traps detected on the doors, though each of them presents a magical aura, same as the one they just passed through. Most likely an Arcane Lock spell wards them both.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
The line is a fine idea if you want to do a systematic survey of every single hex going roughly N/NW, then S and finally E to where you started. Doing so would take upwards of three months after a rough count at 2 days per hex.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Moonday, the 5th day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
Hour of Sunset.
----------------------------------------------
The party travels during the morning hours, just as dawn paints the eastern horizon a lovely shade of pink and then again in the evening, as the sun sinks into the west with another blaze of beautiful colors. Midday is spent resting in whatever shade the heroes can make for themselves, so that they avoid the sun that blazes unmercifully down upon them from directly above. Thanks to Francis' magic, they are able to endure the awful heat of the day, and again the cleric's magic gives them plenty of water to drink. But still, traveling through the desert beneath that blazing sun tests their endurance.
They head roughly northwest and take their time searching the sandy plains for signs of a hidden, or perhaps even buried, pyramid. But the adventurers find nothing for the efforts, and the first pinpricks of despair begin to creep into their souls. There is so much land to search, and the tomb may be quite obvious or it may indeed be difficult, if not impossible to find. Have the centuries and the harsh desert environment concealed it entirely? There is no way to know, and they can trust only to their gods, to luck, and their own survival skills to find out...
Lets do this, give me a range of three or four days travel - whether carefully searching all along the way or simply traveling to get from one hex to another. Something like NW, NW, SW, S - or something along those lines. You can even draw a line on the map, if you'd prefer. That should speed this up a bit! And my apologies for the delay in getting this post up, the slow pace recently is entirely my fault.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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.
--------------------------------------------
PC Health / Adventure Notes:
Amenhep 58/58
Devin 59/59
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
The door opens when Fash uses his magic, revealing a hallway beyond. The corridor is ten feet wide and thirty feet long. The far wall to the west is blank stone, but midway along the north and south walls are another two sets of blue steel doors, a mirror to the one that the party just came through.
Other than these two other potential exits, the corridor is silent and empty.
Apologies for the delay in getting this post up! I'll have the map updated later this evening, but the description above should be enough to get you started.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
The party travels during the morning hours, just as dawn paints the eastern horizon a lovely shade of pink and then again in the evening, as the sun sinks into the west with another blaze of beautiful colors. Midday is spent resting in whatever shade the heroes can make for themselves, so that they avoid the sun that blazes unmercifully down upon them from directly above. Thanks to Francis' magic, they are able to endure the awful heat of the day, and again the cleric's magic gives them plenty of water to drink. But still, traveling through the desert beneath that blazing sun tests their endurance.
They head roughly northwest and take their time searching the sandy plains for signs of a hidden, or perhaps even buried, pyramid. But the adventurers find nothing for the efforts, and the first pinpricks of despair begin to creep into their souls. There is so much land to search, and the tomb may be quite obvious or it may indeed be difficult, if not impossible to find. Have the centuries and the harsh desert environment concealed it entirely? There is no way to know, and they can trust only to their gods, to luck, and their own survival skills to find out...
Lets do this, give me a range of three or four days travel - whether carefully searching all along the way or simply traveling to get from one hex to another. Something like NW, NW, SW, S - or something along those lines. You can even draw a line on the map, if you'd prefer. That should speed this up a bit! And my apologies for the delay in getting this post up, the slow pace recently is entirely my fault.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
The doors to the south appear to be crafted of a steel that has a faint bluish tint to it - perhaps a bit of adamantine? It's hard to be certain. What the party does determine is that they are warded with magic that belongs to the school of abjuration - most likely with an Arcane Lock spell.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
-------------------------------------------------
The party proceeds cautiously, but finds nothing that threatens and they eventually move aside the heavy purple curtains to reveal an empty room beyond. There is a passage that exits to the right and quickly bends to the north, revealing a flight of stone steps that empties out into a slightly wider corridor running east and west. There are double doors to the west, another set into the same wall through which the steps led a bit to the east, and then two regular doors at the end of the passage to the east and another in an alcove just to the north of that door.
The only remarkable item of note in this corridor is the double doors immediately to the west, for they appear to be made of steel while the others are the more normal iron bound wooden doors. The area seems silent for the moment.
Go ahead and give me Search checks if you're looking at any of the doors, and of course you can use any other spells, skill checks or the like to glean more information about anything here.
Morrow 84/84 [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]
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]
Sobok 132/132 Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
Vegeir 119/119 [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]
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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Starday, the 3rd day of Sarenith, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
Hour of Sunset.
----------------------------------------------
The party decides to go on foot, and after a week of harsh desert travel - mitigated by the magic wielded by Francis to allow the others to endure the ridiculously hot temperatures and creating much-needed water when needed - they reach a point where they can see the land ahead of them begin to change subtly. The endless sandflats they've been traveling through lie behind them for the most part, but continues to the north and northwest as enormous sand dunes as well. To the south and the southwest the ground hardens into trackless rock, and they know in that direction lies the Crook River, with its headlands somewhere further west - where they can just glimpse rocky hills and plateaus jutting up from the desert floor many miles away.
It is somewhere in this general area that the tomb of the architect Chisisek can be found - according to their research - though exactly where can only be determined by carefully searching the area through which they are traveling. As the party prepares to make camp (or perhaps begin their nightly travel after resting during the day), they consider in which direction they will go...
Since you're traveling on foot, with some of you wearing heavy armor, I'm going to allow that you can travel across a single hex (12 miles across) in a day, though if you wish to search the hex, it will instead take 2 days. This is for the immediate terrain, which is relatively flat for the most part and will certainly take longer in rougher terrain. First, let me know if you are traveling by day or night, then in which direction you're headed (use hexcrawl directions (such as N,NW,SW,S,SW,SE) and finally whether you are searching that target hex or simply passing through. To make things a bit easier, I'm giving you the map outline to help guide you, so currently you have three directions to choose from - North, Northwest or Southwest. As you explore, I'll mark hexes as Explored or Unexplored (meaning you passed through, but didn't take time to explore it fully.) I leave it to you all to keep track of wand charges used for each day, as well as spells cast when you set out. Sounds like everyone has Endure Elements at least, is that correct? Any other buffs cast on a daily basis? Create Water isn't an issue as it's an orison, but let me know anything else that is cast in the morning, especially the ones that last all day.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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.
--------------------------------------------
PC Health / Adventure Notes:
Amenhep 58/58
Devin 59/59
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day]
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
So I am taking a road trip to Colorado and AZ on Saturday, and will be gone through October 7th, roughly two and a half weeks or so. I'm unlikely to post with the remainder of this week, as I'm trying to finish up stuff at work and home to leave everything behind for a bit. I'd imagine I'll be busy getting back too, so I'm going to figure I'll make my next post on the weekend of October 11th.
I'll have a laptop and internet access now and then, but unless I'm mired in bad weather with nothing better to do (i.e. head out and enjoy the scenery) I don't anticipate posting anything substantial during that time. I might be able to answer questions though, or post something minor between now and then. We'll have to see.
Thanks in advance for your patience folks, and we will resume this adventure very soon!
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Love the discussions! And the idea of flooding a desert using a cantrip... :D
So I am taking a road trip to Colorado and AZ on Saturday, and will be gone through October 7th, roughly two and a half weeks or so. I'm unlikely to post with the remainder of this week, as I'm trying to finish up stuff at work and home to leave everything behind for a bit. I'd imagine I'll be busy getting back too, so I'm going to figure I'll make my next post on the weekend of October 11th.
I'll have a laptop and internet access now and then, but unless I'm mired in bad weather with nothing better to do (i.e. head out and enjoy the scenery) I don't anticipate posting anything substantial during that time. I might be able to answer questions though, or post something minor between now and then. We'll have to see.
Thanks in advance for your patience folks, and we will resume this adventure very soon!
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
I am handwaving you getting to the starting spot, camels or not. If you go by river, I'll adjust your starting point accordingly.
I don't want to bog things down to much here with the overland travel thing. It's meant to add some interesting spice to the adventure, but not to drag it into the quicksand and mire it.
You can hire a guide in Tephu to help with the camels, though the charge is going to be high considering the risk. Probably 100gp/week would cover it. You can Ride camels without a roll UNLESS something happens that requires a roll. Combat for sure, trying to outrun a sandstorm or monsters, trying to get free of quicksand, etc. Anything that is stressful, in other words. You can make untrained Ride checks, of course.
The guide can do the Handle Animal checks to keep the dromedaries moving along. Figure his/her skill modifier would be +8 or so. In fact, I'd allow that hiring a guide would presume he'd outfit you for travel to the degree that you'd be well prepared for the harsh desert. I'd guess that doing so would cost you an additional 250gp or so, allowing you to survive for a few months in the desert - though again, a magical way of getting water would be required.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
No magic is detected, beyond that which glows on the teleportation disc. The other disc shows no signs of a magical aura. Neither does the statue detect magic, and neither does anything on the other side of the curtain. A closer inspection of the latter indicates space beyond the curtain, no sign of a wall immediately behind is noticeable - though it's difficult to be certain until it's drawn aside.
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Lots of good questions!
The map I've provided is what you know - which isn't much. Taking the river is certainly possible, to a point anyway. I'd have to change your location on the map. But... no way you get camels on a boat with a shallow enough draft for river travel. You'd be on foot once you disembark, with a lot of trackless miles to cover.
You know there are hills and badlands to be found at the mouth of the river, as well as sand dunes further north mixed in with some stony ground. It's not all sandy desert, but its mostly sandy desert.
The hills and badlands might have some grasses and such for the camels to graze on, but you simply don't know. Not many folk travel into that area of the desert, at least not in recent times.
All equipment will have to be purchased in Tephu. You aren't likely to find much out there unless you happen onto a merchant caravan or something, which is possible at an oasis. There may or may not be one of those where you're headed, as they sometimes dry up and then come back again over time.
Again, travel time depends on how you're going - on foot or by camel. and how lucky you get in finding what you're looking for. Figure you're looking at a journey of at least a couple weeks, and maybe a month or more if you have bad luck and/or are on foot.
Wearing armor will impose penalties if you are forced to make CON saves to avoid heat exhaustion. That's about all I can tell you. Obviously magic will give you an advantage if you use Endure Elements, as you won't have to worry about making those saves whether you're in robes or wearing plate mail armor. Of course, there are sandstorms and quicksand to think about...
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Freeday, 20th day of Planting (i.e. April), 597 C.Y.
Weather above ground is unknown.
Current time is unknown, but the party has had a long day of searching, equivalent of late afternoon.
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Fash uses his magic to send word to Glorb, and the gnome answers him briefly, confirming that he knows exactly where to find the note and confirming he will 'bring a few friends' for protection just in case. He also wishes his friends good luck as they prepare to confront Vayne. The party makes themselves ready and Fash speaks the words on the parchment, touching the runes in the order as noted. Touching the last rune, all of them begin to glow with a soft blue light, and when they step upon the disk, the adventurers find themselves elsewhere as their stomachs give a small lurch and each of them experiences a moment of vertigo.
The walls of this room are highly polished stone, with nary a seam to be found. A remarkable bit of craftsmanship, though very likely done with magic. Set upon the floor at opposite sides of the room sit two round, black discs of stone - the one upon which they are standing is twin to the one they stood on just a heartbeat earlier, blue glowing runes and all. The one opposite is cracked and crumbling into ruin, though the reason why this is so is not immediately obvious. In an alcove between the discs stands a statue of a handsome wizard in purple garments decorated with gold runes. A heavy curtain of deep purple fabric - in considerably good shape considering how long they've likely been hanging here - conceals the western wall.
Loot recovered with final claims noted below:
Adamantine Warhammer
+1 Composite (Large-Sized) Longbow [+5 STR] x8
+2 'Unholy' Heavy Mace
+1 'Light Fortification' Full Plate Armor
+2 Cloak of Resistance - Claim by Reonnyn
+1 Cloak of Resistance - Claim by Morrow, shifting from Reonnyn's current inventory
+2 Periapt of Wisdom - Claim by Gear
Potion of Fly - Claim by Sobok
Potion of Invisibility
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (x2) - Claim by Sobok & Fash
Scroll of Planar Ally - Claim by Gear
Keoghtom's Ointment
Tome of Understanding (+1 to WIS - requires 48 hours to read it)
Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds [CL 3 (heals 2d8+3 HP), 28 charges] - Claim by Reonnyn
Unholy Symbol of Iuz affixed to heavy gold chain (500gp value)
Gold ring with small ruby setting (200gp value)
Unholy symbol of Iuz crafted of silver (50gp value)
Holy symbol of Nerull crafted if gold and studded with onyx gemstones (150gp value)
84gp, 23sp, 7cp
Anything above NOT claimed above I presume has been hidden in the lair of the succubus, along with the note to Glorb in case things go south. I've add these to the party Treasure List in the Campaign tab. If anyone has additional buffs to add, let me know. The list below is definitive at the moment, based on what you cast last time. If you don't cast what I've got in the Adventure Notes below, let me know that too, please!
Morrow 84/84 [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]
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]
Sobok 132/132 Message (allows whispered communication up to 400' distance with line of sight) for 110 minutes]
Vegeir 119/119 [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]
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; Invisible to Darkvision (when actively using magical ring)
Male Human (Aren't we all? Folks need to remember that!) Epic Level GM (35+ years!)
Fireday, the 25th day of Desnus, 4714 AR
Weather is clear, sunny and very hot (100 degrees or so)
Hour of Sunrise.
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The party takes a couple of days to reset and recuperate, taking the time to sell the items they've looted, purchase items that might serve them well, as well as outfitting themselves for the journey west of Tephu across the desert, into the area known as the Parched Dunes - one of the least hospitable regions of the great Osirian Desert. With the height of summer coming soon, the trek will be fraught with peril not only from the creatures and bandits that roam the rocky desert and sand flats, but also from the soaring temperatures that could easily cause heat stroke for those not well-prepared. Magical spells could surely help mitigate those issues though, and perhaps traveling at night as well. Camels are also a useful mode of transport, not only to carry their gear but also to assist the adventurers in covering more miles in a day than they would on foot.
Once these important decisions are made, the party will be able to provision themselves accordingly and begin their trek to discover the location of Chisisek's tomb...
Once your character sheets have been finished as far as leveling up and purchases, you should come to a consensus on how you plan to travel. Magic can be used to make sure you don't die of sun exposure, as daytime highs between 95 and 105 degrees are common in the desert, though days in excess of 110 degrees and more are certainly possible (yes, I lived in AZ for more than thirty years, so I can tell you that for sure!) Besides the temperatures of course there is a constant need for water (though traveling at night will mitigate this to some degree) and of course there are sandstorms, quicksand, various desert monsters both large and small as well as roving bandits. Camels will help you move faster, though you'd better have someone with some skill in Animal Handling as they can be a bit... nasty-tempered compared to horses. You will also find a brand new hex-style map (Southern Parched Dunes) to help guide you. What you've learned of the location of Chisisek's tomb has helped narrow the area down to some degree, but there is still a lot of empty, harsh land to explore fully if you are to learn it's exact location. The hex marked is where you will be entering this 'sandbox hexcrawl', and it will be revealed further as you continue to explore - with fully explored hexes marked in green (see below). Know that the Crook River lies directly west of your location, which does provide some amount of water and - other than the occasional oasis - is the only water source in the Parched Dunes, such as it is. You also know that the Crook River serves as a starting point for your search. You estimate that the tomb could be anywhere to the north and west of your current position. I'd recommend that one player chooses whether to travel North, Northwest, or Southwest of your current hex. The size of the map and the hexes should give you some idea of the scope of the area of your search. Each hex is roughly 12 miles across, and movement will depend on the type of terrain you're traveling through - though for the most part it's all trackless terrain that costs 1/2 movement. To this point, you'll have been traveling through trackless sandy desert (*1/2 movement), at a rate of roughly 3 hexes per day* if you're using camels or 2 hexes per day on foot if your movement rate is 30' (20' movement brings this down to 1.5 hexes/day while 15' movement brings this to 1 hex per day.) But using camels can be a bit dicey, as I'll be having one player make a Handle Animal check vs DC 12 each day. Failure by 5 or less will lower their movement from 50' to 30', while failure by 6 or more lowers their movement rate to 15' for that day. Fully exploring a hex requires a full day, in addition to the time it takes to reach the hex.
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
pyramid vanished into the sky. However, none know where the tomb now lies, or if it still soars through the skies over Osirion.
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
the sphinxes ponder the crook, the scarab, and the sun.” This corresponds to the reference they'd already made, which indicates the area between the Crook and Scarab rivers and the Pillars of the Sun mountains — a desert region called the Parched Dunes, though once again the tomb’s exact location is not pinpointed.
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.
--------------------------------------------
PC Health / Adventure Notes:
Amenhep 58/58 [Tears to Wine (+2 to INT & WIS skill checks) for 110 minutes]
Devin 59/59 Tears to Wine (+2 to INT & WIS skill checks) for 110 minutes; Heightened Awareness (+2 competence bonus to Perception checks) for 110 minutes]
Elliander 63/63 [Armor Crystal - DR 1, has absorbed 0 (of 10) damage this day; Tears to Wine (+2 to INT & WIS skill checks) for 110 minutes]
Francis 53/53 [Tears to Wine (+2 to INT & WIS skill checks) for 110 minutes]
Nevitash 71/71 [Tears to Wine (+2 to INT & WIS skill checks) for 110 minutes]
