Mummy's Mask: Monkey Mayhem

[Cowpies77]

This is to be a thread for the Mummy's Mask pathfinder campaign.

Players are
- MT_the_Clown: playing as Lucifer St.Claire, a Tiefling Paladin
- Cam_monkshoof: playing as Cypher Moonblade, a Vanara Ninja
- LittleGreenSoldier: Playing as Sage, a Half-elf Ranger
- NPC for the party is Xessus Silvari, the Samsaran Witch, on his travels to reexamine his past life in the Wati Necropolis.

Brownie point rules are in effect. Both players should know what they are by now.

Trade ins for Brownie Points:
- 1/2 of a toffee
- 1 1/2 of an Action Point

Toffees are little treats I like to hand out that are sort of like Blessings from God. They offer offer 2 effects:
- - A Maximized Aid spell (so +18 temporary HP, +1 saves vs. fear and +1 attack rolls) for 1 minute/level
- - Reroll any single roll, taking the new result.
(There might also be other benefits later, but I've never reached a point to develop them further.)

Action points meanwhile are also kinda versatile, representing a moment of greatness or inspiration for the character, and offer several effects:
- add +8 to a roll before you make it, or +4 to the result of a roll
- Gain an extra Standard or Move action
- Gain an extra attack during a full attack action at your highest modifier
- Use a feat you don't have, but qualify for, for 1 round
- Regain 1 spell you've cast already

For shits and giggles, both players start with 1 toffee and 2 Action points  

[Cowpies77]

PART 1: THE LOTTERY AND THE TOMB OF AKHENTEPI
- The adventure begins in the city of Wati, where the Asp and Crook Rivers converge to form the River Sphinx in southeastern Osirion.
- The PCs are all assumed to have already met and decided to form a party to explore the Necropolis.

The Necropolis is being opened by royal decree, so the priests at the local temple of Pharasma, "The Grand Mausoleum," are assigning excavation/exploration sites to adventuring companies via lottery. Xessus, being accompanied by Cypher, had met a Friend of a Friend by the name of Lucifer, and after discussing it with Cypher, invited the lone Paladin to join their group, which he accepted.

With some minor arguments, the party decide to register their group as "Solomon's Judgement"

EDIT

Unappraised Looted Gear

• Antique Painted Light Chariot (currently disassembled)
  
• Wall Tapestry of Akhentepi and family (Magically restored by Xessus)
  
• Finely carved chest (with disarmed trap)
  
• Ancient records books with gold pages (2)
  
• Golden Masks of gods/goddesses (4)
  
• a small, well-preserved darkwood coffer
  
• potion of darkvision,
  
• potion of lesser restoration,
  
• an ornate lapis and carnelian pendant.
  
• Akhentepi's Solid Gold funeral mask (Claimed by Cypher)
  
• Akhentepi's Armor (+1 padded armor, w special abilities) (Claimed by Cypher)
  
• two vials of silversheen,
  
• a masterwork longbow, (Claimed by Sage)
  
• 10 cold iron arrows, (Claimed by Sage)
  
• Masterwork Khopesh
  
• masterwork spear (claimed by Cypher)
  
• composite shortbow (Claimed by Sage)
  
• Scarab Shield (+1 steel light shield, w special abilities) (Claimed by Lucifer)
  
• Jar of Nard (Oily perfume) x2
  
• Ancient Osirian documents, speeches, letters, and other assorted records.
  
• Two light wooden shields
  
• a gold scarab clasp
  
• a silver hand mirror
  
• an onyx and silver holy symbol of Pharasma
  

 

[Cowpies77]

Opening Ceremony
The lottery's opening ceremony takes place in the Sunburst Market in the center of the living city of Wati, between the Grand Mausoleum and Abadar's Sanctum of Silver and Gold. An array of other adventuring groups have assembled, and the ceremony has attracted throngs of local people as well as street vendors.

The bustling desert city of Wati is near bursting with excitement.

Adventurers from every corner of the Inner Sea region have assembled here beneath the hot Osirian sun to explore the tombs of the city's necropolis, waiting only to be assigned their first sites for exploration. Surrounding the participants, the public has gathered to observe the ceremony as well. There is a festival-like quality in the air, and numerous street vendors are hawking goods and refreshments to participants and spectators alike. Some merchants have even brought what can only be considered adventuring gear to sell as last-minute convenience items to explorers, while others advertise that they'll buy recovered treasures and antiquities from those who visit their establishments.

In front of the imposing edifice of the Grand Mausoleum, an immense awning has been erected between decorated pillars in the market to provide shade for the priests of Pharasma overseeing the lottery. Beneath the awning, two urns sit atop a table elevated a few feet above the ground on a wooden stage constructed for the event. The high priestess of the Grand Mausoleum, Sebti the Crocodile, sits behind the table, while two acolytes confer with her
at either side.

Numerous adventuring groups stand in small clusters near the stage, made up of multiple nationalities and races. Most keep to themselves, but some teams engage in quiet conversation with other teams, mostly speculating about what they'll likely face in the necropolis.

The ceremony begins when the high priestess of the Grand Mausoleum, Sebti the Crocodile, rises to her feet and looks over the crowd. Sebti seems surprisingly young to hold such a distinguished position, but she has a confident air of authority. After calling for silence, she begins with an invocation to the Lady of Graves, followed by a brief history of the founding of the necropolis. (All of which Cypher has already heard several times from Xessus, who already knew the entire story and then some. Tell me on Skype if you actually want details, because it's like, a full page of text.)

Quote:

"Let the lottery begin! Although many of you have requested specific sites to explore, we must leave these matters to fate. The Lady of Graves is a far better judge of destiny than we of this mortal sphere. The gates of the necropolis will open at sunrise tomorrow. Use this evening to prepare yourselves for the task ahead. Let these rules guide you in your endeavors in this holy place: remember how this came to pass, every slave's hut is a memorial, and honor the departed. May you go with the Lady's blessing."

 

[Cowpies77]

THE RULES
The priests of the Grand Mausoleum expect groups exploring sites within the necropolis to follow three basic rules, as mentioned by High Priestess Sebti the Crocodile in her speech during the opening ceremony.

• Remember How This Came to Pass: The Plague of Madness was unleashed upon the city of Wati while religious authorities were engaged in infighting. This rule is a reminder that the necropolis remains a holy place, and those who engage in needless conflict and banditry are not only criminals, but accursed.
  
• Every Slave's Hut Is a Memorial: Every structure within the necropolis is a testament to the people who lived and died in the city. Explorers must not desecrate or vandalize standing structures and tombs, but preserve them as the memorials they were intended to be. Some structures may be trapped or decrepit, but willful and unnecessary destruction will not be tolerated.
  
• Honor the Departed: The dead should b e treated with dignity and respect. If the interred need to be disturbed to recover an antiquity or relic, they should be returned to their resting places carefully. It is understood that the ancient dead are often brittle, but there is no need for the contents of a sarcophagus to be summarily dumped on the ground. This rule does not apply to the undead or other abominations .
  

Failure to comply with these rules can result in, but is not limited to, expulsion from the necropolis, a ban on continued exploration, seizure of recovered valuables, and arrest and prosecution by local authorities.  

[Cowpies77]

Xessus, going up when "Solomon's Judgement" is called out, returns after a few moments, bearing a small map. Handing it to Cypher, he says "It appears we have an actual tomb to explore. Hoo-rah." Pausing to make an awkward fist pump while remaining stone faced, he continues on, saying "I believe that we are left on our own now until tomorrow morning, when the gates are opened. Are there any things you would like to do in the meantime?"  

[Campanula_Monkshoof]

Cypher takes the map and looks it over, familiarizing himself with it. "No, nothing. We should just find a place to stay at until the morning."  

[MT the Clown]

Shaking his head, Lucifer smiles politely, "Nothing comes to mind, sir. Though a meal would be nice."  

[Cowpies77]

Much to his confusion, the party passes up on Xessus' offer of soup and instead get some flat breads served with mashed fava beans, sliced boiled eggs, and some kebda (fried liver, also available in super spicy) from the various vendors. (Xessus preferring his cauldron soup however.)

The three mostly spend the day listening to rumors and gossip while trying to stay out of the punishing sun. The latter being rather hard on Cypher, who's covered in fur.

Morning rolls around the next day, and Xessus shows off some small purchases he made since the previous day: a Cart for Lucifer's donkey (to store their unused gear and also help drag out any loot they find) as well as a shovel, sledgehammer, a crowbar, a long pole, and a couple extra burlap sacks and wicker baskets.
"I thought that if we are exploring a tomb, it might be helpful to bring some tools along. And I wanted a place to keep my cauldron hot."  

[Cowpies77]

The three men and a donkey move towards the gate to the Necropolis. As it's opened (and the surge of adventuring parties begin to spread out), the party has no trouble finding the Tomb. It also helps that Xessus either already knew the location, or had memorized the map overnight. But on the way there, he had occupied the time by acting as a sort of tour guide for the other two, translating the name of various shop signs and some general history of the various areas in the Necropolis. It... ends up being a lot less entertaining than one would think, since Xessus spoke with the same amount of inflection as Ben Stein.

A rectangular stone mausoleum sits alone in what appears to have once been an actual cemetery. The trunks of a few dead trees poke out of the sand around the tomb, and a hot breeze whistles through their desiccated branches. A set of massive stone double doors is affixed to the northern side of the structure, beneath a facade bearing the likeness of an Osirian man. Windblown sand is heaped around the crypt, partially burying the doors that lead within.

Xessus offers one of his extra waterskins to the panting Cypher and translates the markings over the door as Lucifer tries to see if there's a lever or handle or switch to get inside.
"The name of the individual interred within the tomb, Akhentepi, is engraved upon the doors in Osiriani.
Born in 2416, died in 2488. So, 11 years before the Plague."

Lucifer's (and the rest of the party's) quick search reveals no obvious mechanism for opening the doors.  

[Campanula_Monkshoof]

"I don't see anything to open them so I think we should just push to see if it'll open."
((I think it'll be a smart thing to roll a perception check to see if there are any other ways in, just in case...
Edit: Perception was a 16(14+2)))  

[Cowpies77]

Campanula_Monkshoof

Edit: Perception was a 16(14+2)

Cypher grunts a bit and pushes at the door, then notices that the door appears to have cracks in the plaster, making it look like it was supposed to have been sealed and solid. Tracing along the cracks, the Ninja realizes that the doors are probably built on internal hinges. Poking a bit, he finds some old slots that probably acted as ports for workers to insert poles or planks into to get the doors to swivel shut.

A moment of thinking, and he guesses that the door can probably be opened, but it likely opens outward, toward the party.  

[Campanula_Monkshoof]

"It looks like the doors open out, I bet we could use that pole and open it." Cypher takes the pole from the cart and inserts it into one of the slots and pushes on the pole.
((I believe that's a strength check so I'll go ahead and roll it. Bleh, 10(7+3).))  

[Cowpies77]

The wooden 10' pole doesn't fit. The slot is too narrow (Think more like a slot shape) and rather shallow.

Also, there's the fact that the entrance is about thigh deep in sand, so even if Xessus' wooden pole were somehow strong enough to open a giant stone door, the sand is effectively acting as a doorstop.  

[Campanula_Monkshoof]

*Pokes the pole in the slot once me and looks sheepishly at the group, "Looks like it doesn't fit. Hey, mind helping me dig out this sand? Maybe we can open it then."
((I guess it's a good sign that there's sand over the entrance.))  

[MT the Clown]

Grabbing a shovel while his tail loops around a basket, "Do be careful with the tools. The rules are specific, 'Explorers must not desecrate or vandalize standing structures and tombs, but preserve them as memorials they were intended to be.' We are here to aid in excavation and exploration. I don't want to meet my parents at the end of my life and tell them that this place wasn't a ruin until I arrived. Since we have one shovel, I'll do the digging, just empty out the basket when my tail passes it over." Unbuckling his armor coat and leaving it behind with the rest of his gear on the wagon, Lucifer starts digging carefully around the door.

((As Lucifer is digging, does he notice anything particular about the door?))