Death Stalks the Canny Jackal

Empty Graves

Session 5

Roll Call:

Visceral, a broad-shouldered, half-orc Dark Knight who wields a wicked orcish double-ax (4th level)
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia (4th level)
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia (4th level)
Rogan Josh, a frail, dark-skinned human Oracle of Time (4th level)

The rest of the week seemed to slither on by, once the Mighty Ebon Lions returned to the living city. They dropped off the living members of the Scorched Hand to the Grand Mausoleum and collected a handsome reward for their efforts. The rest of the week was spent recuperating, making arrangements for magic item purchases and generally reveling with other adventurers at the Tooth & Hookah.

At dusk on Friday, they were collected by Ptemenib, their Pharasmin guide in the city, and taken to the Canny Jackal auction house where they auctioned off much of the loot they had gained while adventuring in the Necropolis. Thanks to Rogan Josh's excellent diplomatic skill, they were able to garner a rather large windfall for their treasures and each member of the group bought some magic items.

While in the Jackal, the Mighty Ebon Lions uncovered some choice bits of rumour making its way through the city including a mention of a less than savoury group of traders known as the Silver Chain, mention of some gold masked strangers walking about the city, and the fact that the two rival noble houses - the Mahfres and the Okhentis - were at each others throats again. All this juicy gossip was absorbed while the group tasted some vintage 5,000 year old honey unearthed in one of the tombs.

As the party wound down, and the hour approached midnight, a concussive blast was felt throughout the Jackal, followed by a wave of bluish energy passing through the hall. Moments later, there was a loud banging at the door, as the servants went to see who it was, the doors burst off their hinges and 16 zombies ambled into the hall. The civilians panicked, running in all directions, but the Mighty Ebon Lions sprung into action. A judicious use of grease and burning hands spells set half of the entrance ablaze and immolated nearly half of the zombies. The fire began to spread throughout the hall however, so Rogan Josh moved to contain it, while the others began engage with the mini undead horde. Civilians continued to panic and ran into the nearby storerooms hoping to barricade themselves in.

The Mighty Lions were doing a fairly good job of cleaning up the zombies when a swarm of severed hands from the Pillar of Second Thoughts in the market piled into the hall, attempting to strangle people. At the same time, the door to one of the storerooms burst open, revealing a previously inert mummy. Waves of magical fear swept over the crowd, but all of the Mighty Ebon Lions - save for Katakama - were not affected.

Visceral's Doom
by bcpstudio

Visceral valiantly stood toe-to-toe with the mummy while Rogan Josh, a couple of summoned wolves,
and others cleaned up the scurrying severed hands. The mummy mercilessly pounded on the half-orc, cursing and diseasing him, weakening his body, but not his resolve. Unfortunately, in the end the mummy proved too much for the mighty half-orc and he was cut down by the mummy's withered and diseased hands. His heroic sacrifice however, gave the Mighty Ebon Lions enough time to rally and Katakama's attacks combined with Xavos flame spells finally brought the mummy low.

With heavy hearts the remaining members of the Mighty Ebon Lions began dragging their fallen comrade towards the Grand Mausoleum. Outside, they could see and hear that similar attacks were happening throughout the city - as a full-blown zombie apocalypse was in swing. Deftly sneaking down side-streets, the group made it to the Grand Mausoleum without incident only to find it in chaos and disarray. The clergy were completely unprepared for the assault and Sebti the Crocodile was arguing with Nephtfu Shepses - the leader of the Voices of the Spire - about how to contain the threat.

The Lions managed to get the high priestess ear for a moment and she agreed to raise the half-orc back to life for a measly 5,000gp. She then charged them with rescuing her brother from The Whispering Stone - a disreputable tavern on the outskirts of town, and then travelling to the Necropolis walls to find out the situation there.

With barely time to catch their breaths, the Mighty Ebon Lions waded out into the night determined to fulfill their new mission.

Rivals in the Under Crypt

The Half-Dead City

Session 4 Part 2

The Gunslinger Tabitha Gale
by bcpstudio

Roll Call:

Visceral, a broad-shouldered, half-orc Dark Knight who wields a wicked orcish double-ax
Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia

Having surprised the Mighty Ebon Lions, the skeletal champions rushed forward, with their leader causing a grievous injury on the half-orc Visceral. Under threat of a heavy attack, the Lions retreated back down the hall to set up a defensive position. The skeletons followed, but their leader remained at the back magically sending his spear flying into continue the attack. After several rounds of tense combat, the Lions wore down their opponents and finished them off. Collecting the Skeletal Leader's magical spear, they continued on through the under halls.

After a little more searching, Katakama came across a group of adventurers looting the place - adventurers they recognized as the Scorched Hand, led by one Velriana Hypaxes. When Katakama was spotted sneaking around, he tired to engage in conversation and negotiate with the rival band. Unfortunately, Velriana was having none of it and demanded that the Lions turn over any loot they found, for she believed as followers of Nethys, it was their right to claim all that lie within the temple. As Katakama and Visceral stayed to negotiate and buy time, the rest of the group tried to sneak around behind the Scorched Hand and engage them from two sides.

Velriana Hypaxes
by bcpstudio

Combat was joined from two fronts and the battle was fierce. Aziz, the Scorched Hand's wizard magically greased the entrance that Sir Pounce, Xavos, and Tabitha were trying to enter and lit it on fire with a flaming sphere, causing massive damage to Sir Pounce. Idorri, the Scorched Hand's muscle, tripped Sir Pounce with her Khopesh which landed him further in the flames and forced Xavos to send him back to his home plane.

Meanwhile Katakama and Visceral entered from their side and began hacking into Khelru (the Hand's cleric) and Aziz. It wasn't long before Visceral's merciless pounding brought the cleric low. A couple of well placed shots from Tabitha soon felled Idorri as well. Xavos summoned a fire elemental which took to burning Velriana and Katakama took out Aziz after being hit with a shocking grasp spell. Velriana continued to fight on despite being the only one conscious and managed to fire off a couple of scorching rays before Tabitha put a bullet through her skull and dropped her dead.

The Lions bound the unconscious members of the Scorched Hand, looted their magic and prepared to leave the Sanctum. On their way out, they came across a secret room which housed a statue. The statue looked like it at one time wore a mask, but it had recently been removed. After consulting the tablet they had found earlier, it was guessed that the mask was the dangerous artefact alluded to therein. Upon questioning, the Scorched Hand admitted to no knowledge of the secret room or the mask. It appeared as though a third party had entered the Sanctum before everyone else and taken off with the artefact.

Not ones to be daunted, the Mighty Ebon Lions headed back to the living city of Wati to catalogue their finds and prepare for a princely haul at the auction to be held later that week. There were more than a few itchy fingers in the group that wanted to use their newly won gold to purchase items of powerful magic.

The Under Halls of the Sanctum

The Half-Dead City

Session 4 Part 1

Roll Call:

Visceral, a broad-shouldered, half-orc Dark Knight who wields a wicked orcish double-ax
Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia

Visceral returns via the scroll of "Switcheroo"
by bcpstudio

Feeling uneasy about treading deeper into the Sanctum without the necessary muscle, The Mighty Ebon Lions utilized a transference scroll given to them by the priests at the Grand Mausoleum and had Rogan Josh teleport out to be replaced by Visceral.

Thus better equipped with muscle, they continued their search of the Sanctum. On the main floor they came across a dormitory filled with musty bunks and bedrolls. Inside one of the rooms, they discovered the half-destroyed bodies of undead acolytes, once again indicating that someone had preceded them into the Sanctum.

They then found access to the lower levels of the temple. Katakama skillfully identified that the corridor leading to the staircase was trapped, but was unable to disable it. Most of the group were able to acrobatically by-pass the trap, but Sir Pounce was unable to and set off a scythe trap, wounding the eidolon.

On the stairs down, the group discovered a trail of fresh blood, indicating that whoever had passed by this way had also set off the trap. At the bottom of the stairs they encountered a statue of Nethys which animated and cast haste upon itself before moving in to attack. Though the statue was speedy and attacked furiously, it was unable to land many blows and was eventually brought low by the combined efforts of the group. The Lions gathered up the statue's magical quarterstaff and continued on into the catacombs.

They next came across a burial room wherein were interred the remains of the Sanctum's highest ranking priests. Looting the sarcophaguses took some time and yielded little in the way of treasure, as the priests of Nethys believed that material wealth was not needed to pass on to the other world. The Lions also came across the dead body of a tomb robber who had met his end at the hands of the statue they had previously destroyed. As they approached, the body came to unlife and struck out at them. With one mighty blow Visceral was able to fell the creature and the group prepared to move on. When they got to the end of the chamber however, the creature rose up again and surprised Katakama, wrapping its rotting hands around his neck, trying to strangle the life out of him. A wave of magical fear swept over the group and Visceral and Tabitha buckled under it, high-tailing it back up to the surface. Fortunately, the effects of the fear wore off just before they reached the corridor trap and they managed to prevent themselves from setting the scythe trap off again. The others who remained tore into the undead creature strangling Katakama furiously and were able to make quick work of it.

The Skeletal Champions in the Chapel
by bcpstudio

Once they regrouped in the chamber, the group continued on east, only to be confronted by a locked door. Katakama failed to pick the lock, but Visceral was able to eventually batter it down with his portable battering ram. The Mighty Ebon Lions then found themselves in a small chapel. Four skeletal warriors led by a fifth, blackened skeletal champion with glowing blue eyes awaited them, having prepared themselves for the group after hearing them beat on the door. Having taken the Mighty Ebon Lions by surprise, the skeletal warriors clattered across the tiled floor, closing in on the group, their glistening spears poised for the kill…

The Sanctum of the Erudite Eye

The Half-Dead City

Session 3 Part 2

Roll Call:

Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia
Rogan Josh, a frail, dark-skinned human Oracle of Time

Having successfully defeated an ambush set for them in the broken streets of the necropolis, the Mighty Ebon Lions arrived at the entrance of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. Upon entering, they immediately noticed that the interior was in much better shape than the rest of the buildings in the dead city, as if someone or something were taking care to keep it clean. They also noticed tracks in the entranceway, indicating that no less than four people had been through the area recently.

Undead jackals await the party in the entranceway
of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye
by bcpstudio

As they made their way deeper into the columned entranceway, six creatures ambled out of the darkness, their skeletal claws clicking on the stone tiles. The recently risen corpses of six jackals lumbered across the distance between the two parties and immediately set to surrounding Katakama to tear him apart. The fleet-footed ninja was able to dance around their snapping jaws and avoid being brought down by the determined pack. Tabitha dove into a roll to try and get a better shot at two of the undead jackals, but she misfired. Katakama and Sir Pounce managed to beat down the beasts before things got ugly however, allowing the Mighty Ebon Lions to continue on. Upon examining the undead jackals, it was clear to the group that someone killed these beasts and then rose them up in undeath to prevent any would-be investigators from entering the Sanctum.

Warily, they continued through the temple, coming across a kitchen, a small pool, and a small chapel, where they were accosted by the shambling undead corpses of blasphemous Nethysian clerics. The two undead creatures were pinned into a small area and easily picked off by the Lions.

The Agash Div uses his foul magic
by bcpstudio

Moving out into a a larger worship area, they came across a magical pool of protection, and a giant statue of Nethys, its hands outstretched. Behind the statue, Katakama espied a horrid Agash Div, a ragged demonic soul with wicked talons and a fanged vertical mouth. As the mouth opened, a giant maddened eye became visible, casting its baleful glance at the group. Combat was joined from a distance, and the Agash used his magic to ensorcel Sir Pounce and force him to attack his summoner Xavos. Luckily the eidolon missed, but as the group turned their attention back to the dais where the Agash had been, they discovered it had disappeared.

Cautious of another ambush, the group moved on once again, finding themselves in a library. Scrolls and books were scattered across the floor, with contents removed - more evidence that someone had been there ahead of them. Searching through the mess, they managed to recover some minor magical scrolls and uncovered a secret compartment in one of the walls. Katakama opened the secret compartment, but was immediately attacked by an animated scroll, which wrapped itself around his head and started to suffocate him. Luckily for the group, Rogan Josh's ability to destroy objects by touch ensured that Katakama was not harmed during the animated scroll's removal. While the group was distracted by the animated scroll, the Agash Div reappeared behind them, cursing Xavos. The party managed to score a couple of blows against the creature, before it once again dimension doored to a safe place.

With the library cleared, the Lions rummaged through the contents of the hidden compartment, uncovering a couple of wands and a magical tablet, as well as a several thousand year old engraving which hinted at greater mysteries deeper in the temple:

By Royal Order of Pharaoh Djederet II

…The high priest of our blessed temple shall take this relic to our new city where the Asp and the Crook join and ensure it is never discovered. Treat it with reverence, but conceal it with your most trusted secrets. Do not attempt its destruction. Do not be tempted by its powers. Let our scandal remain forgotten until this obscenity can be undone.


Fearing that whoever got there before them might uncover this relic first, the Mighty Ebon Lions continued on into the darkness of the abandoned Sanctum...

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Sanctum

The Half-Dead City

Session 3 Part 1

Roll Call:

Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia
Rogan Josh, a frail, dark-skinned human Oracle of Time

After disposing of the Doru Div Imanish, the Mighty Ebon Lions set to clearing out the second floor of the House of Pentheru. They uncovered a number of small trinkets including a wedding dress, some artwork, and an ancient board game, all of which told part of the tragic story of the Pentheru family's final days. Once collecting their treasure, they headed back out of the necropolis, but were met in the courtyard by a small pack of roving ghouls. The ghouls ravenously charged towards the group, but their lack of cunning was their undoing. The Mighty Ebon Lions barricaded one of the doors, creating a natural choke point to draw their enemies in, slaughtering them quite easily.

Once back in the Living City, the Mighty Ebon Lions rejoined with their erstwhile compatriot, Rogan Josh who had been guarding their treasure at the Tooth and Hookah. After enjoying some hard earned mugs of dirty ale and glasses pomegranate wine, they spoke with the other patrons in an effort to find out the latest news and gossip. Once again, they heard of the Scorched Hand's interest in a site called the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye, claiming it to be an abandoned temple to Nethys, and as devout followers of the god of magic they felt it was theirs by right to investigate. Unfortunately for them, no other adventuring bands had been assigned the site as of yet. They also heard that Mad Murran and his Dog Soldiers had fared a little better on their last excursion, and the boastful Crypt Takers were added to the list of missing adventuring bands.

The next morning, they once again headed to the Grand Mausoleum. While waiting for Sebti the Crocodile they spoke with Ptemenib, a zealous acolyte in Pharasma's service, who explained that there was a rift between the traditional Pharasmins and the fundamentalist Voices of the Spire, who wanted to launch a crusade and enter the necropolis to wipe out its denizens once and for all.

When they finally gained audience with high-priestess Sebti, she gave them their next assignment. An abandoned temple to Nethys called the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. Having heard of the Scorched Hand's vehement claims to the site, the Mighty Ebon Lions decided it must be loaded with valuable treasure, and so headed off into the necropolis in good spirits. As a precaution, they left Visceral behind to guard their treasures, and brought along Rogan Josh for his healing expertise and his proficiency with ancient languages.

The Mighty Ebon Lions' Katakama Iga Ryu 
under the influence of Mindfire 
by bcpstudio

Before they arrived at the Sanctum however, the Mighty Ebon Lions were ambushed in the streets of the necropolis by a gang of street toughs and desert trappers. Using the crumbling buildings and rooftops to their advantage, the ambushers gave the Lions all they could handle, using nets and tanglefoot bags and attacking at covered range with short bows. Xavo's eidolon Sir Pounce was glued to the ground and took a number of arrows, which almost felled him, and Tabitha was attacked from behind by a khopesh wielding ruffian, who dealt her a couple of savage blows before she could roll away and finish him off with her musket. Rogan Josh even pitched in, incinerating a couple of street toughs with his burning hands spell. Having been affected in the House Pentheru by mindfire, Katakama did little more than stand there and drool during the whole affair. In the end, though, the Lions proved victorious - though one of the ambushers managed to escape. Limping slightly, the group approached the open archway of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye, consumed with thoughts of valuable treasure.

The House of Pentheru

The Half-Dead City

Session 2 Part 2

The Mighty Ebon Lions' Human Ninja Katakam Iga Ryu
by bcpstudio

Roll Call:

Visceral, a broad-shouldered, half-orc Dark Knight who wields a wicked orcish double-ax

Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia

Following the directions given to them by the priests at the Grand Mausoleum, the Mighty Ebon Lions had no trouble locating the deserted manor in the necropolis, and they encountered no resistance on their trek.

The compound was surrounded by a 10ft. high brownstone wall. A gate, granting access to the manor hung broken on its hinges, allowing the group easy access to the site. As soon as they set foot inside the outer courtyard, which was worn from thousands of years of neglect, their ears were assaulted by the sounds of enemies clashing at the gates, indicating that the souls attached to the compound were not at rest.

A thorough investigation of the outer courtyard resulted in the uncovering of some skeletal servants, which the group dispatched of easily, and a handful of vermin, including a venomous snake, a colossal centipede hiding in a dried out pool and a swarm of scarab beetles, which took them considerable effort to dispatch through the use of oil and flame. Their search uncover a dirty, but useable adamantine heavy flail and the entrance to an under crypt carved with images of two men. The inscriptions, which were difficult to distinguish because their only Osiriani reader - Rogan Josh - was not with them, read Pentheru the Elder and Pentheru the Younger.

Deciding the scour the depths of the crypt before entering the manor, the Mighty Ebon Lions descended into the inky depths of the under-earth. Xavos lit the end of Sir Pounces sword with a light spell to give some measure of visibility to their expedition. The first room was a preparation chamber, filled with canonic jars and statues depicting the ancient Osiriani god Anubis. As the moved forward down a long narrow hallway, they inadvertently tripped a trap, though no immediate consequences could be discerned. A few chambers later, while investigating a half finished tomb, the party was attacked by a mob of mummified cats, which they smashed to tiny bits without much effort.

When they reached the sarcophagus of Pentheru the Younger, they lifted the lid to loot the body, only to be hit by a powerful wave of magical fear that sent Xavos and Visceral running back to the surface. Unfortunately, Xavos' escaped took him back past the trap they armed earlier and he was neatly pin cushioned by a bevy of hidden spears. Fortunately for him, he was rescued by his mates shortly there after (after they took their time looting the funerary accoutrements of Pentheru).

Satisfied that they had exhausted their exterior investigations, the Mighty Ebon Lions entered the manor, which they now knew to be the House of Pentheru. Inside they were assailed by the haunting vestiges of the house's final moments, as it was overrun by hordes of diseased peasants who had succumbed to Lamashtu's Plague of Madness. The shouts of the guards, the whispered loving promises of Pentheru's youngest daughter to her betrothed, and the howls of the anguished all assailed the groups' senses, but they soldiered on, defeated a handful of skeletal guards on the main level, and a bevy of floating skulls in the dining room, uncovering valuable silverware and a magical ring in the process.

When they ascended to the second floor, they rummaged through some of the bedrooms, uncovered some art and some silver, and came face-to-face with the new master of the house: a monstrous, tentacled, be-horned, floating head known as Imanish. The vile creature ensorcelled Sir Pounce and made him savagely attack Visceral, but in the end the cold iron blades of Katakama and the bullets of Tabitha felled the beast before it's Vargouille lackeys could enter the fray. With their leader dead, the Vargouille's flew off in search of easier prey.

A Hot Night at the Hookah

The Half-Dead City

Session 2 Part 1

The Mighty Ebon Lions' Half-Elven Summoner
Xavos Darksun and his eidolon Sir Pounce.
by bcpstudio

Roll Call:

Visceral, a broad-shouldered, half-orc Dark Knight who wields a wicked orcish double-ax

Tabitha Gale, a slight, young human Musket Master from across the sea
Katakama Iga-Ryu, an exiled Ninja from Tian Xia
Xavos Darksun, a half-elven Summoner from Varisia
Rogan Josh, a frail, dark-skinned human Oracle of Time 

After returning to the City of the Living, the Mighty Ebon Lions stored their loot at the Tooth & Hookah, leaving Rogan Josh to guard over it. Rather than sell all their loot right away, they decided to hold off and try their luck at making more money on it in an upcoming auction they heard about. They then went their separate ways to purchase any new equipment and supplies they thought they might need for their next foray into the necropolis.

When night fell, they returned to the Tooth & Hookah, finding it filled with other adventuring bands sharing their exploits and victories, all trying to outdo one another in the tale spinning. A large board behind the bar could be seen through the haze of hookah smoke listing off the 20 adventuring bands who set out into the necropolis that morning. Three of the names had already been crossed off, having met nefarious ends inside the necropolis. One such group, the Hell Knights of Cheliax, were rumoured to have been torn apart by a pack of ghouls in the very streets.

Through their various interactions, the members of the Mighty Ebon Lions were able to figure out that Mad Murran the Halfling had found a magical longsword at the cost of several of his beloved war dogs, Velriana Hypaxes was asking all those who would listen if they had been assigned a place called The Sanctum of the Erudite Eye to investigate, the Linnorm bard Sigurn Firehair was only here to pen an epic tale of her group's triumphs, and that the Crypt Takers were all full of bluster about what they had actually done in the necropolis.

The morning came quickly, and some were quicker to rise than others after a hard night of drinking and carousing. When the Lions had finally gathered all their members (minus Rogan Josh, who once again stayed behind to guard their loot), they headed off to the Grand Mausoleum where the Pharismin clergy presented them with their next assignment: the investigation of a manor house of some unknown minor noble. Sebti the Crocodile asked if the group would find out as much as they could about who lived there and what happened to them and report back to the scribes at the Mausoleum.

The Mighty Ebon Lions once again approached the gates to the necropolis, yet this time they were only greeted by a handful of grim-faced Pharsamin guards. No fanfare accompanied their second journey, no crowds of people. The celebratory atmosphere of their first foray was nowhere to be seen. Only the grim-faced Voices of the Spire who nodded silently as they opened the gates and let the Lions pass.