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--- game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:adventure_journal [2023/07/02 16:09] – [04 The Sanctum of the Erudite Eye] Bryan Stephens
+++ game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:adventure_journal [2023/10/21 11:09] (current) – [The Final Clearing] Bryan Stephens
@@ Line 170: / Line 170: @@
 |Campaign Date|Abadus 11-12|
 |Game Date|06/18/23|
+==== Ambush ====
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:npcs:wati_street_thug.png?300|}}
 The group hauls their loot to the living city and are able to sell much of it. Tumani specifically buys a magical flail to help with the magical monsters they keep encountering. They seek out some of the other parties, but do not get much in the way of information. They rest and recover that evening at Keva’s home and the next day, Kepher gets the name of their next location. It is a temple of some sort, not even as far away as the Tomb of Akhentepi was.
 The four move through the city ruins. Tumani is taking his turn with the cart, which has developed a wobble in a wheel. Fussing with it is why he fails to notice the ambush of the group. Several people lurking in and on the ruins attack. As Kepher moves forward, he finds himself netted from above. Keva charges another on the ground. Ina runs up the ruins and uses a //tanglefoot bag// to immobilize of foe threatening Kepher. Blinking in the sunlight, Tumani leaves the cart and draws his dagger. He places it between the net lines and uses his //enlarge// to double his size. This slices and cuts the net, freeing his friend. The four strike and fight, taking down two trappers and four thugs in total. Two of them lay dead. The other four get stabilized.
-{{ :game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:npcs:wati_street_thug.png?400|}}
 Kepher performs the interrogation, and promises to take them back to the living city to the authorities if they tell them what the group wants to know. They are hired muscle, hired by a woman meeting the description of Velriana Hypaxes, leader of the Scorched Hand. Their job was to stop anyone from moving towards the group’s target.
 Tumani suggests taking their equipment and sending them back naked. Kepher insists on keeping his word. This agitates Tumani who is now sure that their exploration is going to be greatly disrupted by the Scorched Hand. Nonetheless, Kepher is insistent, as is Keva. The group takes the criminals back and drops their loot off for later sale. Ina keeps the remaining //tanglefoot bag// to replace the one she used. Mostly healed, the group hurries back into the dead city to get to their find, arriving at dusk.
+==== Sanctum ====
 Immediately upon entering, the encounter a pack of skeletal dog facing them. The group easily dispatches the creatures, with Tumani using his holy power to burn them. Moving forward, something emerges from the wall to attack Kephar. After its strike, if vanishes. Not attacked again, the group decides to be on guard. Tumani tries a magical pool. Drinking it deeply, he finds his magic invigorated, and knows his next healing will be a maximum possible power.
 Moving on, they find other statues that befit a temple. South of the kitchen is a temple. Hearing voices inside say //”"Look what has happened here! Help us!"// in ancient Osiriani. Tumani assumes it is a haunt and the group does not enter the room to avoid triggering it. They decide to explore to the West.
+|Game Date|07/30/23|
+The west hold the old servants quarters, and unfortunately, three shambling zombies. While the group makes short work or the zombies, whatever is magically passing through the walls attacks Keva and runs. As they head north, Ina misses a trap that also hits Keva, this not being his lucky day. They can crawl under it to avoid it.
+Unable to unlock the doors, Kepher uses his adamantine flail to bash open the doors and they head to the under sanctum. They immediately face a statue of Nethys come to life. Trading blows with Kepher and Keva, Tumani uses his wand to keep them healed and up. It is a desperate fight. Finally, the guardian is destroyed. The group does not pause long, feeling the urgency to move forward. They choose to head east.
+Ina finds a secret door and Tumani pokes his head in, but not seeing anything, they move on. Through some iron bars they spy four members of the Scorched Hand. Their leader Velriana Hypaxes taunts the group and tells them to leave. The party falls upon the Scorched Hand and the nefarious Hypaxes falls. The rouge Idorii agrees to surrender at this. While Ina secures her, Azaa Arafe, the mage and his lover Khelru the cleric keep fighting. As Khelru falls, Azaa runs away, turning //invisible//, leaving his scorpion familiar to die.
+==== Searching for Answers ====
+|Game Date|08/19/23|
+The Group interrogates their captives. Idorii is not particularly loyal to the now dead Velriana Hypaxes. She comments that if “the cleric is dead, the mage will be a life long enemy”. Tumani assures her he is alive and stable. Idorrii’s story is that the Scorched Hand entered the Sanctum as it was their right as followers of Nethys. She herself was hired and not a true believer. Her story matches that of the hired thugs, and then continues with a tale of entering into the Sanctum. The jackals were alive when they entered, and she has no idea how they were reanimated. Further, she has no idea of the bloody footprints or secret room. Waking the cleric, he gives the same, if somewhat more arrogant story. It is clear there is a third party at work.
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:npcs:idori.png?250 |}}
+Idorrii does reveal that the guardian of the Sanctum is called an Akhet and it is controlled via a keystone in a hidden room near the star fountain in the room to the west. They leave the cleric tied up and move to investigate. The fountain is like the one upstairs, but this one has evocation energies. Tumani again drinks and finds his evocation spells are enhanced, though this only helps his //light// spell. With Irorrii’s guidance, Ina finds the secret room and Tumani is able to take control of the akhet and tells it to leave them alone. That taken care off, the group heads north to the secret room.
+They only poked their heads into the room before. This time they take a longer view. Kepher and Tumani go in first, with Tumani looking for magic.
+A stone effigy of a humanoid figure stands at the north end of this room, its arms spread in a gesture of supplication, or as if commanding an object to rise in the air. The figure's face is devoid of detail, with only vague contours where the eyes and nose should be. An extensive series of hieroglyphs covers the western wall, opposite a stone bench that stands against the eastern wallUpon entering the room. Kepher notices writing on the wall behind them which Tumani notes looks like it was a //glyph of warding//. He surmises this was what injured the other party. To Tumani’s //detect magic// the entire room has a dim magical aura, centered on the statue to the north. The nature of the aura is difficult to identify, it seems that until recently, the room held a source of necromantic power of overwhelming strength. Tumani does not think it is active in now. The two move forward and a [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/necrophidius/ |necrophidius]] emerges from behind the statue. This is a snake skeleton construct with a human skill. The fight is brief as Tumani, Kepher and Keva bash it to death. Now the group turns to the contents of the room. Reading the hieroglyphs, they find the message:
+//Woe to you who would plunder the Reliquary of the Thrice-Divided Soul. Turn away, lest the harsh judgment of the Forgotten One fall upon you and your descendants for a thousand generations. Turn away, for his ka cannot be appeased and it shall call forth legions of the dead and the damned. Turn away, and may the All-Seeing Eye and the Lady of Graves take pity on you, for if not, the Forgotten Pharaoh shall consume you, body and soul.//
+Tumani knows that the “ka” as one component of the ancient Osirian concept of the soul, which was divided into five parts. The ka contains a person's "vital spark," that which distinguishes the living from the dead. Inspection of the humanoid effigy in the room.
+After a pause to heal up, the group heads to the summoning room. Again, Kepher and Tumani head in. This time, two of the columns come to life to attack. Tumani uses a //shield of faith// on Kepher and leaves the room, telling everyone to depart as these creatures are [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/caryatid-column/|Caryatid Columns]] and in danger of destroying their weapons. As Kepher disengages, the golden glow from the shield protects him as Ina tries a //tanglefoot bag// to stop the others. It is caught in the entangle and the group retreats from the room. The constructs do not follow outside the room, and the party, already low on spells and resources, leaves the room closed.
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:monsters:senenmarek.png?250|}}
+Following the outside of the circle, they enter the tomb of the founder. Hieroglyphs cover the walls of this chamber. In the middle of the room, a large and majestic stone sarcophagus rests atop a raised stone platform, and several clay jars sit on the floor nearby. Two lacquered benches stand near the doors to the south. Idorrii says they came into this room but did nothing as her employer did not want to disturb the site. The hieroglyphs on the walls name the buried man as Djedihepet, and reveal that he died in -1599 AR. He is described as //"a wise counselor, trusted keeper of secrets, and good friend of the Pharaoh."// Tumani is able to identify the pharaoh of Osirion in -1599 as Djederet II, the founder of the city of Wati.
+Unlike the Scorched Hand, the Lost Fragments want to search. Tumani finds a button with magic upon it. It is ward that requires a password that no one knows. Kepher offers to press the button and the rest leave the room. Electricity rips through him, but Tumani rushes in to heal him. However, this opens the sarcophagus and revels some treasure within.
+Next they enter a shrine in the south where they find a skeletal champion kneeling in prayer. Tumani talking to him in the old speech. He says he knows nothing of the mask and that twice already the Sanctum has been invaded and he will defend it. Clear that no reason is going to stop him, and Kepher attacks the undead monster. He proves to be a dangerous foe, absorbing several blows. Tumani causes him to be staggers with his touch of //gentle rest// and the guardian can only move or strike. With excellent teamwork, the group beats him down. As the guardian dies, he exclaims //”I come to you master!”//. Kepher and Tumani say prayers over the fallen champion, now free of his long duty. The body has a mithril shirt they give to Ina. As she changes, Ina notes her piercing sword does little damage to these undead, and Keva lends her a hammer. Tumani asks to take the //spear of the watchful guardian//. The other big find is that he had keys to the rest of the Sanctum.
+Through these fights, Idorrii hangs back, as the party has refused to hire her. However, she does not run or otherwise try to rescue the bound and gagged cleric behind them. She is quite clear she is not sure she can safely escape without the aid of the party.
+Moving to the west, the group enters into the catacombs. Two columns carved to resemble men with their arms crossed over their chests, holding a khopesh in one hand and an ankh in the other, support the ceiling of this long chamber. Deep alcoves in the walls form burial chambers, some of which are sealed with stone doors. Other sepulchers just have sarcophagi tucked inside, while a few appear empty. To the north and south, wide passages exit the room through the east wall, each leading to stone double doors. This catacomb was reserved for the high priests of the Sanctum. In contrast to standard Osirian burial practices of the time, the temple's high priests were expected to pass on much of their belongings to their successors, making this catacomb seem relatively spartan in comparison. Tumani notes that the priests of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye were well versed in the matters of their faith, and believed that mortal trinkets were not required for the soul to join Nethys in the afterlife. Six of the sepulchers all contain sarcophagi; three of them were sealed with stone doors that were never intended to be reopened.
+Tumani suggests they search for any hidden compartments or secret doors. As they move about, they hear a stirring and a zombie rises to its feet!
+====The Final Clearing====
+|Campaign Date|Abadus 12-13|
+|Game Date|9-16-2023|
+The party is confronted with a coffer corpse. It attacks Keva who responds and easily knocks it down, inert. Horrifyingly, the creature stands back up. The men are shaken but not panicked. Ina however, not a native of these strange lands, runs. Kepher and Keva close and despite the thing going down and standing again, it is at last destroyed.
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:monsters:guardian_scroll.png?400|}}
+Healing up, the group heads upstairs to clear those areas. First stop is the library, where they are attacked by a [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/constructs/guardian-scroll/ |guardian scroll]]. The animated construct wraps itself around Ina’s head, making attacks difficult without hurting her. Tumani uses //command// to order it to release his friend. Blood dripping from its nasty paper cuts, Ina retreats. Keva and Kepher stab the scroll, Ina returns to stab it. Once free of the magic controlling it, it //again// wraps itself around Ina’s head. Keva rips its free and the men slash and stab it until it is dead. The party rests and heals up, searching the room.
+It is clear this room will take some time to organize the books for sale, tanking most of a day. The group decides to spend the night in the library to rest and recover, and send the prisoners back in the morning. That evening, Keva negotiates to pay 1,500gp to retain Idorii, and the next morning, she helps Tumani and Keva gather up the library, while Ina and Kepher take the bound cleric back to the living part of the city.
+When the two return, the group decides to investigate the haunting. A small shrine occupies a raised dais in the north of this room. Two waist-high fonts stand on either side of the altar, and a small wooden cabinet is bolted against the eastern wall. Two rows of stone benches stand to the south of the dais. A fetid odor permeates the room What they find that instead of haunting, it is in fact two [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/huecuva/|huvecuva]], twisted undead of priests who failed to save their temple. It is easy work for the party to surround and kill them, taking no damage and avoiding their diseased touch. It takes a few moments to secure the area and search it. What is left is the main alter.
+North of the Hall of Protection, the ceiling rises to a high dome 40 feet above the main floor, forming the primary cathedral of Nethys. Three flights of short, steep steps climb up to a large platform elevated 5 feet above the floor. At the rear ofthis platform, a 15-foot-tall statue of Nethys, half white and half black, stands atop a raised octagonal dais. The top ofthe main platform is tiled in black marble while the octagonal dais is a striking white, and the ring that separates them is tiled in red. hiding behind the large statue of Nethys at the far northern end of the room is Shargah-Katun an [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/divs/div-aghash/| Aghash Div]]. This foul outsider reveals itself and opens with a cursed gaze from its single eye. Everyone but Tumani is in its effect, but only Ina is caught in its gaze. She is confused but able to act normally. Keva and Kepher attack, with Kepher using his //smite// power. Shargah-Katun is stunned by the ferocity and damage of the attack and uses its //dimension door// ability to vanish.
+The group gathers itself and starts to search the area, when they notice motion into the room. Shargah-Katun has returned with allies!
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder:mummys_mask:monsters:div.jpg?400 |}}
+However, the group does not see the giant eyed Div. Instead they are confronted with two dorus yet again. Shargah-Katun is present however, as his //spectral hand// moves, unseen, towards the party. The dorus immediately //charm// Ina, while failing on Tumani. Ina runs back to further search the library, intent on finding more treasure. Tumani shouts out he can make the weapons good, and does so for Kepher. The fighter moves in to attack, but misses the small divs. The other doru curses Idorrii to also go watch Ina, who is a thief after all, and make sure she does not steal anything. The group is down two of its members.
+The //spectral hand// touches the most dangerous foe for the divs, the paladin Kepher, and he falls into curse of confusion. Kepher starts to hit himself in his altered state. Unable to fight back, he is then bitten by the doru. Tumani makes Keva’s weapon aligned and he joins the fight. The //spectral hand// tries to deliver a curse of ugliness to Tumani, but the cleric shrugs it off. And now he sharp eyes can see the mystical hand.
+Keva continues to try to fight on both divs, even as Shargah-Katun works to curse Kepher yet again. Tumani tries to kill the hand but fails, even as Keva manages to kill the dorus. As the summoned divs fade away, Kepher continues to strike himself. Tumani starts to heal Kepher from his own damage. Now is the point that the Aghash shows himself!
+Both the fighters are stunned by his gaze, while Tumani faces it and stabs with his magical spear. The other two men remained stunned, which at least means the confused Kepher does nothing. Tumani flees to the women and managed to shake them from their stupors, as Keva shakes off the effect of the stun and attacks the agash, eyes shut, relying on his blind fighting.
+As Ina passes Tumani, he aligns her weapon as well, and she and Idorrii join the fight to surround the horrible div, even as they are paused at times by its gaze. And as she passes Kepher, he mistakenly attacks her. This means Idorrii stands alone for a while, because the others are stunned, and Tumani is diverted desperately healing his friend from his own injuries and those of the div.
+Shargah-Katun is arrogant. His primary foe cannot hit him at all. He concentrates his claws on Keva, the self-blinded man in front of him, and his gaze goes from stunning to deadly. The women stand behind him to attack, with Keva in front, but the creature seems to swirl and move, avoiding their damage. Idorri goes down in a vicious attack as Kepher attacks Keva.
+Tumani heals his friends as the fighting continues. Shargah-Katun seems thrilled at the events. However, his luck turns. Keva provokes an attack, distracting him, so Idorrii can stand. The mercenary has been the most adapt at striking the div, and she lands a blow while he is distracted, to the cheers of the party. Startled, Shargah-Katun also is unable to avoid Ina’s damage from behind. The damage from them both drops the foul beast before it can once again escape.
+It is at this point Kepher finally has a moment of lucidity. Tumani and Keva leap to him and explain he is under a curse, and Kepher demands to be bound. Until they can get him magically cured, he is a danger to himself and them. The group binds their friend and prepares to return to the living portion of Wati.

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