Dar'erthan:
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Dar'erthan: You hear the sounds of battle coming from within the museum. Apparently, the others have decided to go through with the heist. Moments later, the sound of whistle from inside screams through the air, and within seconds, half a dozen wandering Sothis guardsmen converge at the entrance. They rush into the Exhibitory and a whistle blows once more. You see Heydar break through the exit, only to be tackled from behind by two guards.
Before you realized it, almost two dozen guards have appeared to help out at the Exhibitory. Heydar has been restrained, and eventually, Atun, Devlin, and Calib are being led dragged out of the museum, either unconscious, or with restraints. When you look back around to check on the member of Her Majestrix's Expeditionary, they've gone. The four co-members of your party are taken away, presumably to prison.
FYI: I've decided to fast-forward through this scene and how to continue afterward, but I want to give the other players a couple more days to respond before I decide their characters' fates.
It looks like it's down to two players. Would you rather finish this combat and have new players recruited, or something else?
Round 1 Calib casts a Grease spell on floor directly in front of him, catching the nearby guard off-balance. The guard tries to maintain his footing, but falls Scepter, meanwhile, screams out, "GUARDS, THEY'RE TRYING TO STEAL THE RELIC!" He brings the bayonet of his wand rifle to Atun's face, smirking smugly. "You dont think you're away, do you?" The two guards near the door turn their attention to Atun.
I'm still willing to continue, but I need the players to post something.
Initiative order: Calib, Scepter, Atun, guards, Devlin, Heydar
Calib casts Silence on the display, and then Heydar picks up the mask. The guard watching Calib immediately yells, "STOP!"
Atun:
Right next to you, you see Scepter smile as he watches this scene unfold. He begins drawing his wand rifle. AR = Atun; DG = Devlin; HA = Heydar; CA = Calib
Calib advises the guard to patrol the another room, away from the mask. The guard snaps back, "I know how to do my job. Go ahead and continue with your little lecture, there."
Calib begins his oratory. Four visitors of the museum gather close to Calib and listen intently. One of the guards begins watching and listening from further away.
Dar'erthan: Passing by Scepter on your way out, you tail the other two for no more than 100 feet outside the museum. Xaven and Hroken stop and stand in place, looking back ath Exhibitory.
Calib makes his request to the Arch Docent, who replies, "You've lost your mind. What makes you think I'd let you take one of these relics for your personal use. The mask isn't even mine...it's the Forthbringer's, as is everything else in the Exhibitory. I cannot comply with your request." Calib relays this message to the others. Anyone outside or near the door of the museum see Xaven and Hroken leave the building.
Calib: You find the Arch Docent in one of the offices (the 10 x 10 ft square rooms in the middle of the map). "Yes?" Everyone else: You notice three members of Her Majestrix's Expeditionary enter the Exhibitory: Xaven, the leather-clad halfling; Hroken, the mail-wearing half-orc with a tower shield on his back; and Scepter, carrying his wand rifle on his person.
Every display in the Exhibitory radiates a faint magic aura, including the mask.
There are five guards in total wandering through the museum. Theft could result in imprisonment for up to a year and up to a 500 gp fine.
After your meeting with Raegos, you head to the Exhibitory. There are a handful of other visitors at the museum, as well as a few guardsmen inside and out of the building.
The Mithral Scarab has gone, leaving you to your task. Calib lets everyone know about his recollection of a mask like the one Raegos described. "I know of such a mask on display at the Sothis Exhibitory. Perhaps we should check there."
Devlin: As soon as you starting moving towards him, Xaven takes off, using the crowded bazaar to try to lose you.
"Yes, the symbols were inside the pyramid." "I've told my story to others over the years." Devlin:
While waiting outside, the Mithral Scarab leaves you to your task. "I'll check on you soon to see how you've progressed," she says. Minutes later, in the middle of the dense market crowd, one studded leather-clad halfling sticks out among the rest of the crowd. He's watching you and Neferet. He looks familiar to you, and you recall seeing him at the auction earlier today, sitting near the back. Eventually, you remember who this is: it's Xaven, stealthy member of Paracount Julistar's group, Her Majestrix' Expeditionary, and he's spying on you. Calib: You recall a mask, like the one Raegos describes, is on display at the Sothis Exhibitory, which is managed by the Arch Docent.
"I don't think the mummy left the pyramid. It's probably still in there. "I can't remember the name of merchant I sold it to, if I ever knew it. I am certain the buyer had no idea of what he was getting. I only told him it was from a pyramid of green stone. "I myself only saw three of the four symbols, thank the gods. Imivus' apprentice told me they were the pharaoh's symbols for the words subjugation, desert, and fealty. Each rune resembled an esoteric symbol inside a circle. The first was a double-ended arrow flanked by two arcing lines. The second resembled an unblinking eye. And the third was a pyramid above a half-circle. "I've told you all I remember about the pyramid."
"I don't why there had to be 10 of us. Anyway, after I limped back to Sothis, penniless and frightened out of my wits, I sold the funeral mask to a merchant for what must have been a fraction of its worth, happy to be rid of it." "I was never on the other plane of existence, so I can't tell you anything about it." You know the ringed planet as Aucturn. Calib: During the third age of the black sphinx, Ancient Osirion was, for a time, ruled by a union of four feuding pharaohs known as the Four Pharaohs of Ascension.
The Four Pharaohs of Ascension were Anok Fero, the Cerulean Pharaoh; Hetshepsu, the Fiend Pharaoh; Ankana, the Raidant Pharaoh; and the Pharaoh of Numbers, who's true name is lost to time. Although each brought different strengths to the union, all were equal. Legends say the Four Pharaohs of Ascension were bound by a magical pact that intertwined their fates: they lived together, rules together, and were fated to die together. The Four Pharaohs of Ascension are a popular subject of study by Osiriontologists from the devil-influenced nation of Cheliax. The tyranny of the Four Pharaohs is something of an inspiration to Chelish loyalists.
"Alright. I'll tell you. "I was hired by an elderly scholar named Imivus to fill out his expedition. He brought ten of us with him, a number he said was important. Imivus had a preference for those with reputations for folowing orders and asking few questions. I was young, foolish, and desperate for coin. I remember Imivus was always in a hurry. He might have been and astronomer, because he seemed obsessed with the idea that his campaign could only succeed while something called the Ringed Planet was in its ascendancy and that window of time was waning. He never really explained and we didn't ask. "What he did tell us was that the pyramid of the four Pharaohs of Ascension was hidden on another plane of existence. I don't know where, I just knew enough from the scholar's description to know that it was a horrible place. Imivus explained that the pharaohs thought they would live forever after they crossed into the afterlife, so they designed a funeral mask that would enable them to call the pyramid back to our world once again, in case the ever needed to return. "I remember the mask well enough. It was inlayed with gold and adorned with a headdress of feathers, dyed both red and black. After Imivus brought us miles to the southeast, to the base of the four pyramids exposed by a sandstorm, he put on the mask. There was a greater shimmer of light and a gigantic pyramid suddenly materialized in between the other four. "The pyramid was a massive temple of green stone. I'd never seen anything like it before. Once deep inside, Imivus' apprenctice deciphered several of the inscriptions that littered the walls and floors. According to the inscriptions, the four pharaohs had declared that all intruders would be doomed to live out their existence as eternal guardians of the tomb. Apparently, anyone who saw the four symbols of the pharaohs' namesakes would forever become enslaved monsters. "At first I thought it was bluster designed to scare off thieves. I remember that Imivus ordered us to simply ignore the first few symbols as we came across them inside the tomb. But then Seraton, the party bowman, suddenly cried out in alarm, warning the rest of us to avert ourt eyes - he had seen the fourth and final rune. Moments later, Seraton transformed. He became a withered husk, like the emblamed bodies we had expected to find. An he was filled with a terrible smoldering anger. I remember Seraton driving his entre arm through Imivus' chest, exploding him into dust. As Imivus disintegrated, the funeral mask landed at my feet. I still don't know why I did, but I remember grabbing the mask and running for my life. "Everyone else followed. I remember the long terrible run back through the pyramid shaft to the exit, our numbers growing fewer and fewer each time I looked back. It was as though somehow the pyramid itself was pulling everyone else back into the clutches of the monster Seraton had become. Only I escaped. Probably because I was lucky enough to have grabbed the mask. "What else do you want to know?"
"Fine." Neferet says, staying outside. Dar'erthan:
She's clearly not fine with it and seems to really have wanted to listen to what Raegos has to say. Inside the tent, Raegos responds, "I only agreed to meet with you because the Mithral Scarab asked." He seems indifferent to your company. "All you need to know is that you're all in over your head."
Devlin and the Scarab stay outside, while the rest of the group enters the tent. Inside this battered grey tent is a home of humble means, complete with a small cooking fire. The tent's hominess is disturbed, however, by dozens of strands of strings, intertwining in a complex web as they run from the various pieces of furniture to the bed at the back of the tent. An old man sits in a chair, wearing a blindfold across his eyes. "Yes? What is it you want?"
No one bothers to outbid Heydar, and its no surprise given Paracount's Julistar's outspoken appraisal of the scrolls. Heydar wins them for 15 gold. Dar'erthan:
The scrolls are clearly ancient Osirion. It looks as if the Kemesarian's description of them was accurate. The Kemesarian wraps up the auction, leaving with his guard and his henchmen. When most of the attendees have left, the Mithral Scarab approaches you. "I now know who you are, and you all seem to know who I am. Jalden has tasked me with taking to you to see Raegos. Let us go." Calib:
Let me know if you let Neferet go with you. On the way, the Mithral Scarab explains a bit of Raegos' story to you. "During their expedition, one of Raegos companions was turned into a mummy when he read four specific heiroglyphs. The mummy then turned on its former companions, tearing them apart and scattering them into dust. Raegos says he has seen three of the four heiroglyphs, and is terrified that he may accidently see the fourth at any given moment." Eventually, you arrive at a tattered tent on the west side of the Malhitu bazaar. "So, to satisfy his paranoia, you must all leave all pieces of paper outside his tent...including any spellbooks, scroll, maps, and other such things." The Mithral Scarab waits for your response. "Will you comply?"
Neferet is easily one of the most beautiful women you've seen. "So, where are you going after this?" she asks Calib. The Crook Bearer ultimately wins the figurine for 200 gp. Next, the Kemesarian brings a bundle of ancient scrolls out into the open. "This collection is the last thing up for auction, today. Each of these holds detailed and accurate information about the planet, Aucturn, if one were to decipher its writings. I'll open the bidding at 50 gold pieces..." Just then, Julistar interrupts the Kemesarian. "Wait a second! I'd like to examine those." He walks over to the collection, reviewing them intently, before he speaks again. "Just as I thought. These are fakes! You should of noticed these were fraudulent," he preaches to the Kemesarian. "You're slipping." The audience erupts in applauce at Paracount's observation, and the Kemesarian's embarassment shows clearly. A halfling, dressed as an adventurer or mercenary, offers 5 gp for the bundle. Dar'erthan, Devlin, Heydar: It's apparent to you that Paracount Julistar's spoken appraisal of the value of the scrolls is a disingenous, and he's actually very interested in them.
The woman responds to Dar'erthan, "Wait. I'll let you know when I'm sure." Calib's bid goes unchallenged, and the Kemesarian closes the bidding on the charcoal rubbings. Just then, the woman who bid first on these sheets of parchment approaches Calib. "Greeting, stranger. My name is Neferet Anu. I make a living as a translator, and I'd be happy to offer my services to help you decipher those writings. Would you be interested?" Calib:
It would take DC 25 Linguistics check and 3 hours of study to decipher the writing. The Kemesarian continues the auction, bringing out a small stone figurine. The figure depicts a noblewoman resting with an intricate staff under her arms. Paracount Julistar shows interest by bidding first, and quickly outdone by the Crook Bearer. Julistar returns the favor, but the Crook Bearer doesn't relent, and soon he's offering 80 gp for the statue.
The woman continues her bid, offering 40 gold pieces for the charcoal rubbings, until Calib outbids her. She gives up after Calib outbids her. However, a consortium of sages begins bidding, offering 100 pieces. Calib:
These rubbings probably hold many pieces of knowledge about the four pharoahs. The collection is probably has a market value of 90 gp. Dar'erthan: The Mithral Scarab does indeed follow the bidding, looking at each bidder, but not giving any reaction you can see.
There's a detail I missed in the opening post of the adventure thread. A pre-arranged pattern or set of bids made by the party is to be used to as a signal to the Mithral Scarab, so that she can know that you're the party she's supposed to meet with. You're free to come up with this signal, yourselves.
Paracount Julistar looks at the dwarf, then back at the Kemesarian. "100 pieces," the tomb raider announces. After a brief moment of silence, the Kemesarian announces the coins sold, and they are taken to Paracount Julistar. A woman covered from head to toe with a veil over her face stands in front of Dar'erthan. She waves off the later. "If it's you, then go through with the signal." (see OOC thread). The Kemesarian brings out the next item for auction. From inside a scroll case, he pulls out several pieces of parchment. Each is a charcoal rubbing, and as told to you by the auctioneer, details numerous references to the Four Pharoahs of Ascension. A woman makes the first bid of 10 gp.
The Kemesarian opens the auction with a brief greeting, then immediately brings out a piece of bundled cloth. He unwraps it, revealing seven gold coins. "The gold coins date back to the dynasty of the four pharoahs. Let's start the bidding. Anyone?" One nobleman offers ten gold pieces, but is immediately outdone by another. "15 gold pieces!" Paracount Julistar enters the bidding as well, and the three buyers continue to outbid each other until Paracount Julistar finally announces his offer of 75 gold pieces. A few seconds of silence follow before the Kemesarian asks the audience, "Anyone else"?
Dar'erthan, Atun, Calin, Heydar, Devlin, you're good to go. Some background information for all characters: Each of you somehow associated with the Pathfinder Society, and have now been brought together to explore a recently uncovered, legendary tomb. The adventure thread is here, so post your introduction there.
The desert wastes of Osirion have always been home to competing clans of nomadic elementals of air and sand, best known for ushering in the blinding khamsin on a seasonal basis. Something changed this year, though, and the elementals went berserk, scouring the desert with tireless fury. Thousands of tons of desert sand shifted, with entire towns buried and valuable oases lost. As a result, the caravan roads have become incredibly deadly. But one man's disaster is another man's opportunity, for in the valleys and canyons left behind by the storms, ancient wonders from fantastic myths have resurfaced. A dozen previously unknown pyramids now miraculously rise from the sand. Word has psread. Renowned treasure hunters from acorss the globe congregate in Sothis, Osirion's bustling capital, to prepare for some of the most anticipated dungeon delves in centuries. Within this community of rogues, bandits, mercenaries, and tomb robbers, a rumor has spread like wildfire, One of these resurfaced structures towering out of the desert floor is none other than the legendary pyramid complex of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension. ... The Pathfinders have brought you together and sponsored an exploration of the pyramid of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension, in expectation that you return to them a map or journal of your adventure, as well as 10% of the value of any antiquities you find. The Pathfinder Society's local venture-captain, Jalden Krenshar, is your sponsor. She's also set you up to meet with the Mithral Scarab, a Pathfinder agent in Sothis, who in turn has set you up to meet with a local man named Raegos. Raegos is the only surviving member of a failed expedition into the very same tomb more than 50 years ago. You are scheduled to meet the Mithral Scarab at an auction. ... The recent khamsin not only uncovered the pyramid of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension, it also unearthed a number of lesser pyramids that were subject to looting. An underground sale of some the finds is currently underway. Local authorities have turn a blind eye to such auctions as long as they remain orderly and don't threaten the peace, and these auctions, ingrained in Sothis culture, make up a significant part of the local commerce. The auction house is a large white pavilion, hidden among dozens like it, each contributing to the endless maze of tents littering the Malhitu Bazaar. Inside, rows of brightly woven carpets encircle a wooden stage topped with a garish podium. The Kemesarian presides over this auction. He's a well-known antiquities fence with a reputation for restricting his activities to genuine artifacts. He's guarded by seven eunechs and eight unobtrusive men-for-hire. Due to rumors of recent finds, the tent is packed with curious nobles, Osiriontologists, and would-be adventurers looking for clues about possible sites for there next expeditions. Of particular note are: Crook Bearer, a collector of repute; Arch Docent, the curator of the Exhibitory; and the Mithral Scarab. Also in attendance is Paracount Julistar, leader of a team of tomb raiders known as Her Majestrix's Expeditionary. He sits in front along with a fellow member of his team, and an entourage of six Chelish legionnaires.
Dar'erthan and Calib, can you break down how you spent your points on ability scores?
HP will be max for 1st-level, and half-max plus one for every level past 1st-level.
Everyone who's posted so far will be allowed to join the game. I'll be starting when I get back home Monday or Tuesday, so I'd like to have the character sheets mostly done by then.
No.
The mundane aspects of the embalming rituals are perfectly straightforward. Indeed, sufficient archeological evidence exists that shows these rituals have not changed in centuries are still practiced by a few fringe groups in modern Osirion. the embalmers used razored hooks to siphon the brain out through the nose. Lateral incisions hidden on the sides of the body provided the means to hollow out the lungs and liver. Precisely eleven layers of linen strips cover the skin, glued together and hardened with a resin. The resulting shell protects the body's exterior to safeguard its soul for the journey to the afterlife. But while the mundane process remains largely unchanged, what is missing are the subtle and delicate strands of power woven into the cloth. For all our study, our research, and our endless fascination with muffification, the most potent secrets of these ancient embalmers still elude us. The brand of necromancy they practiced in those days has no counterpart in the modern world. ... The desert wastes of Osirion have always been home to competing clans of nomadic elementals of air and sand, best known for ushering in the blinding khamsin on a seasonal basis. something changed this year, though, and the elementals went berserk, scouring the desert with tireless fury. Thousands of tons of desert sand shifted, with entire towns buried and valuable oases lost. As a result, the caravan roads have become very deadly. But one man's disaster is another man's opportunity, for in the valleys and canyons left behind by the storms, ancient wonders from fantastic myths have resurfaced. A dozen previously unkown pyramids now miraculously rise from the sand. Word has spread. Renowned treasure hunters froma cross the globe congregate in Sothis, Osirion's bustling capital, to prepare for some of the most anticipated dungeon delves in centuries. Within this community of rogus, bandits, mercenaries, and tomb robbers, a rumor has spread like wildfire. One of these resurfaced structures towering out of the desert floor is none other than the legendary pyramid complex of the Four Pharoahs of Ascension
Character creation rules are the following:
Discussion for the Osirion campaign. |