Necropolis VI - The Tomb of Rahotep

Players/Characters:

• Greg - Lukas, human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 5/spellsword 1
• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 12
• Sarah - Mariko, human monk 12
• Gofa - White, human ex-samurai 8/ronin 4
• Adam - Flowing Stream, human ninja 12
• Dave - Inache, human wizard 3/cleric 3/mystic theurge 6
• NPC - Khonsu-khaibet, human ranger 9/cleric 4

Game Events:
Lukas had spent his recent time wisely: crafting many items of power for his use and those of his friends. Those distributed, the group began planning their next expedition. However, the evil servants of Set and Rahotep were seeking revenge for the heroes' successes, and suddenly their discussion was disrupted by the Priest of Set who had previously attacked them with the bandits so long ago, and his Hezrou ally!

Entering ethereally, the pair used a word of blasphemy to daze and weaken the group. Even worse, it sent both Lukas and Marius back to their home plane of Oerth! With a snake-headed staff, the priest attacked the remaining heroes, the Hezrou attacked with bite and claw!

The fight progressed with the heroes being able to do little but defend themselves. Further blasphemies uttered by the Hezrou kept them off balance. Lukas and Marius returned through the portal and via teleport, but Inache was banished himself - and could not return.

Flowing Stream was smitten by the poison from the snake staff, and without Inache, could not be healed - he fled towards the priest by the pool of Hapy, but the poison took his life as he fled.

Mariko proved the saviour of the party. Unaffected by the stench of the Hezrou, she first overthrew the Hezrou and then turned on the priest. Out of spells and possessing no further means of escape, the priest fell to the heroes.

If this evil would attack the heroes in their home, then no-one was safe! The Tomb had to be braved immediately! Recovering Inache, he raised the unfortunate Flowing Stream, and proceeded to the Tomb on the following day.

Thus it was - Clever Lukas immediately deduced the answer to the puzzle Rahotep had put before them and found the secret door into the inner chambers, thus avoiding all the traps that had been placed against the coming of the unwary. Even this path was not safe, however. Flowing Stream was able to neutralise the poisonous gas that would otherwise be released, but the true entry had one more secret: a spectral vulture with a human head that mocked the heroes as it escaped the Tomb.

Mariko and White attempted to capture and slay it, but to no avail. Was it naught but an illusion?

Beyond was a chamber with two great doors with a skeletal image painted upon them, flanked by twelve sarcophagi. Ignoring the terrors that they thought would be waiting for the unwary in the coffins, the group instead concentrated their effort on the doors. The Skeleton's image animated and warned the group away from progressing further, offering riches and power to those who would serve it - but no-one was that foolish (this time!)

Lukas flung a rock at it, which destroyed the image and the plaster mural on the doors, leaving the way open to proceed. Flowing Stream opened the lock, and found that the Sarcophagi were indeed important - twelve Iron Mummies came out to engage the party.

Luckily for the group, they were able to retreat quickly enough to leave the chamber and mount an action in the doorway. The mummies proved impervious to all magic - a fireball spell merely burnt off the bandages to reveal their true nature as constructs! The fighters of the group thus got to work, with Inache using healing spells to bolster them - after a long fought combat, the last of them was dispatched.

Beyond the great doors was the final chamber: the Tomb of Rahotep! Heaped around it were many precious gems and works of art, and the sarcophagus itself was inside a shrine of wood, then a slab of granite, then a outer layer of porphyry, and finally it was revealed: the Mummy Rahotep, full of ancient magics.

The foul thing wasted no time in attacking the heroes, though mostly their defenses held. They began to beat it down. It cursed Lukas, and he found his next spell engulfing his ally, White! This was not enough to slow the heroes, however. Mariko disarmed it of its flail and crook, and, defenseless, its spirit was sent down to the foul depths of the Duat, to meet the reward of oblivion it had avoided for so long.

The curse of Rahotep was lifted! Triumphantly, the group looted the remaining treasures and made their way back to Aartuat. The priests of Thoth would be pleased, and hopefully Pharoah as well - and gifts of land and noble titles would be theirs!

Necropolis V - Temple of Treachery

Characters:

• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 11
• Sarah - Mariko, human monk 11
• Gofa - White, human ex-samurai 8/ronin 3
• Adam - Flowing Stream, human ninja 11
• Dave - Inache, human wizard 3/cleric 3/mystic theurge 5
• NPC - Khonsu-khaibet, human ranger 9/cleric 4

(Greg had come down with a severe case of 'flu and was absent).

Game Events:

With the corpse of the High Priest before them, the heroes investigated his quarters and the shrine. In the place of the statue of Osiris, they found a golem in devotion of Set which attacked, forcing them to defend themselves!

Once again, Marius' adamantine spear proved decisive in the combat, but it distracted the group enough for the lesser priests to prepare for their departure. Alas for the priests, they made a fatal assumption: that the party was aligned with Good! Although true of Mariko, Inache and Khonsu-Khaibet, the other members held to the view of the Balance. So, their protective spells against hated Good held no benefits.

Fireballs from Inache cleared the foyer of the acolytes and guards, and the blades and fists of the heroes began to put paid to those more devout followers of Set. Wave after wave of attackers came, but the group, uplifted by their previous heroics, were unstoppable. A few lesser priests and acolytes, smarter than the others, fled. The others perished in the service of their dark god.

With the battle completed, some further exploration of the Temple was made: little else of interest remained. A few trinkets were acquired, but nothing more. The party retired to Aartuat to celebrate their victory.

In Aartuat, they conversed with Tremonius and Celeste and bought some of the wandering sage's magical trinkets - which were more potent than might have been thought. Rest and revelry were indulged in, until finally they returned to the Gorge and began the search for the source of all the evil that had plagued them: the Tomb of Rahotep!

It was a wearisome search - not dangerous, but tedious. Eventually they made their way to the high cliff towards the back of the gorge in which the Tomb lurked. Dispelling the protective glyphs, they stared inside to the brightly painted antechamber. It was sure that Lukas would be needed - this challenge would wait for another day.

Necropolis IV - The Cleansing of the Osirium

Players/Characters:

• Greg - Lukas, human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4/spellsword 1
• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 11
• Sarah - Mariko, human monk 11
• Gofa - White, human ex-samurai 8/ronin 3
• Adam - Flowing Stream, human ninja 11
• Dave - Inache, human wizard 3/cleric 3/mystic theurge 5
• NPC - Khonsu-khaibet, human ranger 9/cleric 4

Game Events:

After returning to Aartuat, Lukas felt he needed to spend some time investing more magic into his bow. He offered to take some of his companions with him to the City of Greyhawk, and the monk, ronin and ninja accepted. Both Marius and the Inache decided to remain behind.

One teleport spell later, and the heroes arrived before the portal back to Greyhawk - except, it wasn't there! Instead, two Ogre Magi attacked the heroes!

The fight was short, and the heroes began to explore the area they were in. Unfortunately for them, it quickly became clear that the Ogre Magi had in fact hijacked their teleportation attempt to a different temple - and that the Ogres weren't as dead as they were feigning to be! With use of their natural ability to polymorph and turn invisible, the ogres soon had the heroes on the back foot - especially after one Ogre Mage rendered Lukas unconscious! With snarling taunts, the Ogre Magi informed White and Flowing Stream that they would pay for their betrayal of their "master".

Thankfully for the heroes, Flowing Stream's ability to turn invisible himself and White's ability to hit really, really hard carried the day. After reviving Lukas, they discovered they were in a otherwise deserted temple to the three evil gods of Khemit, one in that Lukas could feel an odd magical resonance! Despite Flowing Stream's pleas for further investigation, the group resolved to return to Aartuat. This use of teleportation magic worked far more effectively in the first, and Marius and Inache were surprised indeed to see their friends again so soon.

As they shared the tale of their aborted journey, a caravan arrived at the village. Most notable about it was the wagon that was being pulled by four ogre slaves! Its owner was the self-styled Tremonius the Sage, Master of the Mysteries. He offered his services to the curious townsfolk and the heroes - with an aside that he had many magical trinkets for sale - before introducing his companion, Celeste, a shy young woman from Italia.

Day was drawing to a close, and the heroes resolved to deal with Tremonius on the morrow. However, just before nightfall a messenger from the Temple of Osiris arrived, requesting their aid - the forces of evil beneath the temple had become even stronger, and the priests had been under attack by the party's former team-mate, Teralia! With the journey too difficult to attempt at night - especially with most of the heroes already battered and weary - they assured the acolyte that they would make the journey first thing on the morrow.

Upon attaining the Temple, they were once more shown into the presence of the High Priest. He shared his grave tidings with them, and opened the way to the Osirium beneath the temple.

I have already described the path to the Shrine in a previous installment, so I will not repeat it here. Only three mock-sphinxes guarded the Shrine this time around, and no hero was foolish enough to fall to their promises of great rewards. Instead, the heroes destroyed them all, grinding them to dust. The path to the interior of the shrine was opened!

Within was a great statue of Set, which spoke and called upon the heroes to bow down before him! All the heroes could feel great waves of compulsion magic rolling over them, but only White was weak-willed enough to bow. As he did so, the quick-thinking Lukas drew and fired an arrow at the statue. The ronin was released, and the statue shattered!

The ruins of the statue were investigated and two objects were discovered: the Book of Eternity, another of the Evil Objects, and a massive ruby cut into a figurine of Set. Mariko volunteered to carry the ruby for now.

It seemed the gods were pleased with them, and the heroes felt blessed. An emerald radiance led across the water to a walkway that led around the outside of the Osirum, and a great gateway with two smaller portals on either side.

With warnings of doom manifesting as they considered the two smaller portals, the group quickly resolved to open the great gate. This was achieved, and a passageway sloping further downwards was revealed behind. The heroes ventured forward into the depths.

There, White was granted a vision of the great statue of Osiris, submerged in the water. It seemed that somehow there would be a way for them to raise it, and so it proved, although the way was obscure. The theurge found it in the end, divining it with the aid of Thoth.

Thus, the Osirium restored, the heroes found their way clear to return to the upper temple.

Triumphant, the heroes were escorted before the High Priest, who became more and more downcast at the report of their victory. At the last, he despaired and revealed himself as the true servant of Set! His reward was his destruction by the heroes' blades. The session ended as the rest of the temple mobilised against the heroes!

Necropolis III - Curse of the Traitor

Players/Characters:

• Greg - Lukas, human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4/spellsword 1
• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 10
• Sarah - human monk 11
• Gofa - human samurai 6/ronin 5 (?)
• Adam - human ninja 11
• Dave - human wizard 3/cleric 3/mystic theurge 5
• NPC - Khonsu-khaibet, human ranger 9/cleric 4

Game Events:

With the loss of three party members, and Blake needing atonement for his deeds, the party was much reduced. Lukas gained the aid of a member of the Greyhawk mage's guild, but three more travellers from a distant land had coincidentally arrived and been recruited by the clerics of Thoth to aid the party: A Monk, a Ninja and a Ronin.

The heroes acquainted themselves with one another, but soon were summoned by the water-priest, Merha-Aptut, to his shrine. There, he informed them that his water magic had divined a threat to the group: traitors and evil men, plotting against them! A cave somewhat near the Gorge of Osiris was where they would be meeting. Surely, their next meeting had to be disrupted and the evil ones apprehended or slain!

However, it seemed that the evil ones had at least been partly informed of the heroes' plans! As they travelled towards they cave, they were ambushed by a pack of hyenas. As Dave's Theurge sought safety in the sky (courtesy of his flying carpet), the Beastmaster revealed himself and sent four arrows through the Theurge's body, mortally wounding him. The others stared upwards at his dying body, forty feet above their heads!

The Hyenas proved little problem, although they inflicted some minor wounds on a couple of the heroes, but the Beastmaster had chosen the top of a nearby cliff from where he continued to drop arrows on those who got to close, often knocking them from their perches. Lukas teleported up to the Theurge and prevented him from dying, and then used the vantage point to return fire on the Beastmaster. The Ninja then achieved the top of the cliff, and soon the Beastmaster was defeated.

Much healing magic was expended, and the group was ready to set out again.

The cave was thus found without further incident, but Lukas noticed a suspicious pile of sand before its entrance - a lurking elemental, no doubt! A few fireballs put paid to the lurking sanddevil, and the characters entered the cave.

The first cavern was small and with much debris and bones. The Ninja, hearing voices, motioned to the others to stay behind while he explored one of the two side caverns... not noticing that the debris was being pushed aside.

The Ninja indeed did find the evil ones: A priest, who had earlier ambushed the first group; the traitor Teralia, once ally and champion of weal; a strange robed figure; and four barbarian bodyguards. Unfortunately, the rest of the group suddenly found themselves under attack by four Salt Mummies, who had hidden under the debris.

The priest and Teralia, alerted by the noise, used their magic to escape. The Ninja moved to block the path of the barbarians to the other heroes, and the other turned their full attention to slaying the salt mummies.

With one mummy defeated, the Theurge moved to aid the Ninja, casting a cone of fear to panic every single one of the barbarians! Unfortunately, an unattended Mummy took this chance to attack the Theurge, and the remaining plotter revealed himself to be a Warlock, master of the dark arcane arts, and sent a bolt of energy at the Theurge, who crumpled to the ground.

Lukas moved to save the day, and with Marius's, the Ronin's and the Monk's aid, slew the other mummies. The Warlock, seeing himself outnumbered, disappeared in a puff of brimstone.

With the conspirators fleeing, the heroes returned to Aartuat. On the way, the Ninja revealed what he had heard: that Teralia had agreed to slay them all...

Necropolis II - The Entrance to the Gorge

Players/Characters:

• Greg - Lukas, human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4/spellsword 1
• Sarah - Teralia, human rogue 3/wizard 5/arcane trickster 3
• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 10
• Gofa - Neb, NG gnome druid 11
• Adam - Savrai, CG human psychic warrior 5/pyromancer 7
• Julian - Blake, LG human paladin 12
• NPC - Khonsu-khaibet, human ranger 9/cleric 4

Game Events:

With Savy and Cordy returning to the County of Ulek to resume their business there, the group was rejoined by Neb, Savrai and Blake - the last after a long absence.

The three newcomers were encouraged to visit Atmu-thoth-rahat and pick up a few figurines for their protection.

Following that, the group made their way back along the path they were taking when they were interrupted by the bandits. No bandits were anywhere in evidence on this trip, although plenty of fat vultures were hanging about.

The Gorge of Osiris was thus reached after a couple of hour's journey. The path into the Gorge was blocked by the Pylon of the Duat; a vast obelisk-like structure, with a tunnel cut into it. Although uneasy about this, the heroes began their journey into the Gorge.

Their way was not unbarred - a strange jackal-headed fellow calling himself Anubis barred their path. After being insulted by Marius, he called for his minions - jackalweres, owlweres and lionweres - to destroy the group. Both Anubis and one of his minions were strong in magic, and the heroes soon found themselves in a fight to the death!

Marius and Blake both fell to Anubis's death magic; however, the battle was eventually won by the heroes with all their opponents slain. Lukas used his magic to teleport the group back to the portal to Greyhawk, and from there they petitioned the priests of Heironeous to raise the two fallen heroes.

A few days of rest, and again the group returned to the Gorge. The Pylon of the Duat was breached without further incident, and the Gorge was open before them.

A great Temple of Osiris dominated the Gorge, beyond it were all the tombs of the Pharoahs and other great men. Khonsu-khaibet advised the party to investigate the Temple first - for either aid would be found within, or foes that must be dealt with!

The Temple was approached down a great avenue flanked with stone Sphinxes of all kinds. The Temple itself was built as a fortress, with guard towers and strong walls. The gate, however, was open for the heroes to pass within.

All appeared deserted, but, as they investigated further, they were greeted by three priests of Osiris. A chant of blessing was sung over the heroes, and they were taken to the chambers of the High Priest!

The High Priest was a worried man - the underground Osirum had been desecrated by the forces of evil, and he had no means of fighting it. The heroes quickly assured the holy man that they would free the Temple from its curse.

A strange papyrus boat was given to the heroes for their conveyance to the Osirum - strongly magical, of course! - and they descended to the waterway that led to the cursed shrine.

Once a place of holiness, decorated by scenes showing the glories of Osirus, now the place had been desecrated by the servants of Set, and the scenes of the underworld painted on the walls upheld that evil deity more than the good Osiris.

The boat came to a stop on the island that contained the shrine. Four sphinxes - strangely grotesque - guarded the four doors to the shrine. The first animated as the heroes approach. "Warriors! Put down your weapons, for greater ones await within the shrine for your use!"

This caused much debate amongst our heroes. Blake insisted that the sphinx was evil and full of malice, and was supported by Khonsu-khaibet, Lukas and Marius. However, nothing could sway the others from their course, and their weapons were surrendered and they entered the shrine as the loyal heroes looked on in horror.

Once within, the three who were unfaithful to the cause of Good found themselves transported into the realm of Set, where they were brought before the great god himself! Giving his blessing to them, all three pledged their allegiance to the forces of Evil and Chaos, and were given great gifts and sent back to the Osirum to slay those of Good who still opposed Set.

A mighty battle erupted, but luck and skill was with the forces of Weal; Khonsu-khaibet used his bow to prevent Neb from casting spells, and the bow skills of Lukas and the sword and spear skills of Blake and Marius were devastating on the traitors. Marius was nearly mortally wounded in the battle by the traitors, but Neb and Savrai were utterly slain. Teralia, her allies fallen, fled by dimension door.

Lukas, after Blake had attended to Marius's wounds, used teleport to return the survivors back to Aartuat, where the grouped hoped that more allies could be recruited - more loyal and true than the ones who had betrayed them.

Necropolis I - Aartuat

Players/Characters

• Greg - Lukas, human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4/spellsword 1
• Sarah - Tyralia, human rogue 3/wizard 5/arcane trickster 3
• Daniel - Marius, dwarf hexblade 10
• Dave - Savy, halfling rogue 6/fighter 3
• cohort - Cordy, halfling rogue 1/cleric 6

Game Events - Beware! Spoilers for Gary Gygax's Necropolis below!

Joining the group was Savy, champion of the heir of Ulek, and servant of the druidic circle. Neb had been recalled to consult with the Druids of Ehlonna, and Savrai was indisposed for the time being.

Reaching the town of Aartuat, the party familiarised themselves with the surrounding and made contact with Khonsu-Khaibet, an agent of the powers of Weal. Khonsu-Khaibet expressed his willingness to accompany the heroes, and suggested that the heroes visit Atmu-thoth-rahat, a trader in religious statuary.

On their way to the trader, the heroes were attacked by a huge, demonic crocodile which proved almost impervious to their weapons and magic! They were aided by Khonsu-Khaibet and eventually slew the beast as it made to escape. Marius and Savy were seriously hurt, but their wounds were tended to. Khonsu discovered some strange figurines within the beast, and again pressed the party to see Atmu to learn their function.

Atmu-thoth-rahat proved a kind, religious man. He identified the crocodile's figurines as being of dark magic; they had infused a demonic spirit into the crocodile. After the figurines were dealt with, he encouraged the heroes to take figurines of Khemit's deities with them "for protection". They took them as follows:

• Lukas - Thoth
• Marius - Bes
• Teralia - Menu
• Savy - Nut
• Cordy - Thoth

The heroes then visited the holy man of the village, Merha-aptut, and gained his blessing on their adventures.

The next day, the heroes began their first expedition to the Gorge of Osiris, where it seemed the evil ones were gathering. However, before they reached the Gorge, they were attacked by a band of 20 bandits along with three greater fellows: a priest of evil, a sorcerer and a skillful rogue who led the bandit charge.

Fireball spells slew most of the regular bandits, but the sorcerer teleported in the priest, and a word of blasphemy staggered most of the heroes. In that time, the sorcerer and priest badly hurt the heroes, especially Cordy, who was unconscious and dying by the time the others recovered.

The heroes fought back. Marius and Savy combined to slay the leader of the bandits. The priest, bleeding from several wounds, turned ethereal and fled. The sorcerer was on the verge of also teleporting to victory, but Lukas slew him with several well-placed arrows.

Khonsu recognised the sorcerer as being a resident of Aartuat. The party decided that because they had been so badly hurt, they needed to return to the village to rest.

Once there, Savy decided to investigate the sorcerer's home. She discovered that another man, apparently the sorcerer's half-brother, also lived there. Sneaking into the home, she found the sorcerer's treasure, but it was trapped with a harm spell that almost slew Savy when she triggered it! Confronted by the sorcerer's half-brother, Savy ran for safety.

Safety proved to be the arms of the local guard, although possibly short-lived, given that Savy was then accused of stealing! However, with the testimony of Khonsu-Khaibet and Merha-Aptut, the soldiers instead arrested the half-brother and let Savy go.

The session ended with the PCs preparing for their next expedition to the Gorge - perhaps they'll even reach it! With both Adam and Gofa available for the next session, they will probably have an easier time of it.

Prelude to Necropolis

Players/Characters:

• Greg - Lukas, CG human ranger 2/wizard 5/eldritch knight 4/spellsword 1
• Gofa - Neb, NG gnome druid 11
• Adam - Savrai, CG human psychic warrior 5/pyromancer 7
• Sarah - Teralia, CG human rogue 3/wizard 5/arcane trickster 5
• Daniel - Marius, CN human hexblade 11

Game Events:

The five heroes, upon learning of strange happenings on the borders of the Bright Desert from the druids of Ehlonna, made their way into the dry wastes. From the tribesmen of the border hills, they learnt of strange sights and sounds, and nearby villages that had suddenly disappeared, swallowed by the encroaching sands.

Investigation of one of these border villages found it utterly choked with sands - and with three strange mummy-like creatures, encrusted with salt. These "salt mummies" proving hostile, the party quickly defeated them and then Lukas, a ranger/wizard, discovered their tracks, coming from the desert.

Several days of travel went by uninterrupted - save only a teleport or two back to Greyhawk to stock up on food supplies when they got low. A small ruin proved to be the lair of an androsphinx: Andre. This worthy creature proved quite loquacious after the PCs promised not to engage it in a riddle contest. ("I'm so bored with riddles. Everyone who comes by, it's always, hey, you're a sphinx! What crawls on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening? I know the riddle. I've heard it a thousand times. Can't anyone come up with anything more interesting to talk about?") Tales of the party of a druid of Ehlonna who had previously investigating the problem gave the group more clues as to the danger involved.

The next day, as they followed the trail - now also coming from the direction the druid had taken - they ran into a sardine of the desert (a knight in armour) and his horsemen. He introduced himself as Sir Ulric, and requested that the party accompany him to his master's tower. The party refused, but convinced Sir Ulric that it would be better if they went together to investigate the strange beings they had previously encountered. The sardine agreed.

So much the worse for the sardine! Alas, they found the place where the druid had been ambushed and her party slain - and then turned into salt mummies! The cause of this, the Walker of the Waste, was also present. Sir Ulric and Marius fell in battle with a Sand Golem, but the rest of the party prevailed - the remaining mummies were slain, and the Walker fled into the desert.

A reincarnation revived Marius (as a dwarf!), but Sir Ulric was beyond recall. The party made their way to a nearby oasis to recuperate.

There, they encountered another party of knights - this time led by Sir Edric, the brother of Sir Ulric. Upon seeing the armour of Sir Ulric, which the party had taken with them, he arrested the heroes and made them accompany him to the tower of his master, the Archmage of the Bright Lands. Although William attempted to use a suggestion to dissuade him, this was not successful against the knight's reinforced will.

The Archmage proved strangely genial - his divinations had told of a thread to his dominions, and the PCs had come just at the right time. The threat, he informed them, was coming from another world. An ancient portal had become active, and from there the Walker had come. More were likely to follow, if the portal were not closed. (The Gentle Reader can guess who had been chosen close the portal).

By the Archmage's magics, the party were transported to the point where the portal stood - inside an old ruined temple. Another Sand Golem, accompanied by a robed and hooded figure, was waiting for them. This time, the party made short work of the Golem with no losses, but its master escaped through the portal. Travelling through it in pursuit, they found themselves in a new land: a great river flowing through the desert, a large city of mudbrick and stone, and several large pyramids!

Apprehended by warriors on chariots who spoke a tongue they did not understand, the PCs persuaded them they were emissaries of the gods (thanks to various shapechanging magics), and were escorted into the city, where they were interviewed by the High Priest of Thoth (who, luckily, had a tongues spell).

Thankfully, the party didn't claim they were gods or anything of the like to the High Priest, but instead won his aid - he, too, had been worried by recent divinations and a shadow that had fallen over the court of the Pharoah - life, health and strength to him! His agents led him to believe that the malaise stemmed from the Gorge of Osiris - and the PCs seemed the perfect group to investigate the area; being strangers to the land was a great advantage in this case!
A merchant caravan brought the PCs to the small village of Aartuat, the doorway to the Necropolis...