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.

The Tomb of Ahkentepi

The Half-Dead City

Session 1 Part 2

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 

The weathered buildings and streets of Wati's necropolis stood in eerie silence, as the Mighty Ebon Lions made their way through its sand-covered streets towards the Tomb of Ahkentepi. In the distance, they could hear the howling of the Dog Soldier's canines, indicating that there was yet some excitement to be had in a city of the dead. Nevertheless, they arrived at the site without incident.

After clearing some sand from the entrance of the tomb, Visceral pried the doors open with a trusty crowbar. When they entered, they found themselves in small room with ancient stone statues standing guard at each corner. Two of the statues were identified by Rogan Josh as the Lady of Graves, but the other two remained unidentified. Some long forgotten pagan deity from Wati's past, no doubt. The way forward was blocked by a large stone disc. As the group contemplated how to move the stone, they were attacked from behind by an inquisitive scorpion, but it proved to be little more than a nuisance.

Xavos Darksun summoned his eidolon, a hulking brute of a beast to help Visceral move the giant stone barring their path. The two easily managed to roll the stone aside, giving the group access to small a room with a yawning pit descending into the tomb proper. A frayed bit of rope was hammered into the side of the pit, evidence that someone else had entered the tomb long ago.

At the bottom of the pit they found another door, and a partly decomposed human or half-elven body with shattered leg bones. The hapless victim obviously fell down the shaft and lingered in the room to die.

The doors before them were carved with a bas-relief of a young Ahkentepi adorned in full battle gear head held high. They easily slid oped to reveal a long hallway decorated on either side by faded murals of some great Osirion battle, and an older Ahkentepi commanding forces from the back of a chariot.

Sensing some kind of danger, Katakama meticulously searched the hallway for hidden traps and uncovered one at the far end of the hallway in front of another door. This was the beginning of what would prove to be a most successful trap-finding foray for the exiled ninja - for which, the others were most grateful.

The Lions then passed through a chamber with mummified cats and a painted tapestry of Ahkentepi and his family. Rogan Josh informed the party that the lettering described how Ahkentepi's family died in some tragedy while he was at war, leaving him a widower.

Further into the tomb they came across a magical mirror that a stern looking Ahkentepi appeared in, silently frowning at the would-be tomb robbers. Having encountered little resistance, the group then strode into a mummification preparation chamber full of confidence. But they were surprised by a couple of insectoid, spider-like creatures. One of them savagely injured Xavos' eidolon, sending the magical beast back to its home plane.

Deeper and deeper they went, with one less party member. As they approached the burial chamber, the group was assailed by a giant elemental sand snake. Many of their blows proved less than effective against the magical creature, but in the end, it was defeated with a well placed bullet from Tabitha's musket.

Finally, they entered what they believed to be the burial chamber of Ahkentepi. Katakama's keen senses detected that it was a false, trapped burial chamber and he deftly deactivated a flooding trap that could have spelled the entire group's doom. As the trap was deactivated, the sarcophagus sprang to life. Once again, it's hardness proved difficult for the group to damage, and when the sarcophagus "swallowed" Visceral, things indeed looked grim. But it was the combined efforts of Rogan Josh and Tabitha Gale, the former with his Wrecked Touch and the latter with her trusty musket, which proved to be the decisive tools in the animated objects demise.

Having freed Visceral from the sarcophagus, the group trudged on. Katakama failed to notice a trap on the next door and a swarm of locusts was summoned, eating away at Rogan Josh. Xavos, with is eidolon out of action, summoned a pony into the room, which the locust horde fed on as the group fled through the door and into the real burial chamber.

Once again the group found themselves in a burial chamber. They cautiously moved towards the sarcophagus, wary of some trap, but failed to notice the Iron Cobra lurking in the shadows. The beast swiftly struck at Katakama and Visceral in the front lines, causing some damage. Once again the group had a hard time penetrating the tough iron hide of the magical beast, but once again through determined attacks they proved victorious, with Visceral landing the killing blow.

The group then turned to looting the burial chamber. Within the sarcophagus, they found Ahkentepi's mummified body, along with a golden funerary mask, a magical shield and armour and other valuable trinkets. Having secured the loot they we're after, the group made their way back out of the tomb and through the necropolis to sell their spoils.