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.

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.

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.

A Gathering of Lions

The Half-Dead City

Session 1 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
Rogan Josh, a frail, dark-skinned human Oracle of Time 

The Mighty Ebon Lions
by bcpstudio

It was a dry, sun-soaked day in late Desnus when the Mighty Ebon Lions stepped off the merchant cog the Sunset Empires and into the bustling Osirion city of Wati. The ship's captain Eton Shadwicke, a short Varisian with a face like a bulldog led them through the throngs of people in the dusty streets of the Veins to the cool confines of the Tooth and Hookah, a local inn and watering hole.

When they arrived, Shadwicke quickly made himself comfortable on a soft satin pillow, wiped his sweaty jowls with a kerchief, and ordered a decanter of pomegranate wine from a dusky young woman in a white linen dress. Shadwicke then informed the group that they had the rest of the day to buy supplies and prepare for their descent into the necropolis the next morning. He also let slip that he would be much appreciative if they would allow him to purchase from them any Osirion artifacts of historical significance they might find on their expeditions.

The next morning, the Mighty Ebon Lions stood shoulder to shoulder beneath the rune-engraved walls of Wati’s necropolis with no less than 20 other bands of sellswords, mercenaries, and intrepid scholars looking to plumb its depths. Merchants, craftsmen, entertainers, and other city-dwellers had gathered in huge droves as well, giving the whole ceremony a festival-like atmosphere.

Beneath the walls, a wooden dais was erected with a wide awning above it. Sebti the Crocodile, a stern-looking high priestess of Pharasma with bluish lips and a purple-hooded robe sat on the dais. Flanking the high priestess were two servants in white linen dresses. At the front of the dais stood Ptemenib, another priest in the service of the Lady of Graves, sweat glistening off his shaven pate even at this early hour.

As the crowd watched in anticipation, Ptemenib drew a coin from a leather sack and called out “The Dog Soldiers”. After a brief bit of commotion, a drunken halfling parted the crowd and stumbled forward. Ptemenib drew another coin from a different sack and whispered the location the Dog Soldiers were given to investigate. The doors of the necropolis creaked open and The Dog Soldiers, a group of rowdy halflings with ill-tempered war dogs strode into the necropolis.

The process was repeated, and Velriana Hypaxes, the leader of a group called the Scorched Hand was called next. She was a dour, slender woman in a wide-brimmed hat, who wore a holy symbol of Nethys around her neck. She strode up to the dais and in turn was given the location of their first investigation. There was a brief argument on the dais – no one could tell about what – before Velrianna stormed down off the dais and led her company through the yawning gates into the necropolis.

Once again, Ptemenib reached into the leather sack and pulled out a coin. In his strong, clear voice he called out the Mighty Ebon Lions. Rogan Josh ascended the dais, leaning heavily on his staff, his weak legs wobbling feebly beneath him.

“A bit sickly to be entertaining a trip into the tombs, aren’t you?” asked Ptemenib.

“In time, we all grow weak and feeble. Those of us so cursed at an early age are free to contemplate the mysteries of life that are beyond the physical,” replied the oracle.

“As you wish,” Ptemenib responded. “Take your band to the Tomb of Akhentepi. It is clearly marked on the map. Whatever discoveries you should make, the church would be most grateful if you shared them with us. Particularly those of a historical nature.”

Rogan Josh nodded to indicate he understood, but did not respond. He gathered himself and re-joined the party. As the gates once again crept open, the Mighty Ebon Lions strode valiantly through and into the necropolis, leaving the world of the living behind.