Set's Daughters
An Investigation in Saltmarsh
Responding to a handbill posted around town, the Party assembled in the office of Gregor Alpers, one of Saltmarsh's constables, who told them that the job involved investigating the disappearance of a senior cleric of Procan, Terrik Fass. The Temple had informed them that they had divined the cleric was dead, but they wished his body and possessions returned and were offering a reward of 500gp. The cleric was last seen heading to the house of Wilhelm "Crafty" Crodwell a well-known local adventurer. As Crodwell had the reputation of protecting his with nasty traps, the constable had the Watch seal off the premises and was calling in professional support - them!
They took the job and headed off to Crodwell's house, located on a small estate a few miles south of town. The two Watchmen on guard waved them through and they began exploring the building , Biscuit somewhat impatiently dashed around getting mostly frustrated by the locked doors he came across. The rest of the Party went at more judicious pace, Allowain opened any locked doors, accompanied by Jormungadr's lute playing. They discovered that Crodwell was something of a collector of foreign curiosities, many of them from the land of Erypt, or Khemit as the locals called it.
Using comprehend languages, Jormungadr was able to translate some of the papers and boods they found, including a rare copy of the three volume Gods of Khemit and an already translated document that appeared to be an account of a party of tribesmen's somewhat ill-fated raid on the "Mud-dwellers" and their discovery of an unlooted Great Tomb. In another, locked, drawer Falanthey found three hand-drawn maps containing several notes, instructions and commentaries that together added up to a somewhat roundabout method for locating something called the "Crypt of Kholan".
They also found, mounted in a frame on one of the walls, a large interesting looking map:
The rest of the house appeared empty, though they did find signs of hasty departure. They also found three undead in a hidden room in gilded caskets marked with hieroglyphs. One was a ghoul and the other two were zombies albeit dressed up to look like mummies. The low-level undead proved little challenge and when they turned the bodies over to the Watch they discovered the ghoul was in fact the reamins of Terrik.
Next day they were summoned to the temple of Procan where they met the cleric who had been resurrected. He told them that he had been engaged by Crafty to cast Raise Dead on two bodies which he did. He then found himself attacked by someone emerging from the third coffin - the last thing he remembered was being wrapped up in chains!
He offered the Party a further reward and also a scroll of Raise Dead if they would continue their investigations and repay Crafty appropriately for the insult to the Church of Procan.
The Saltmarsh Docks
The Party headed out in various directions across the town to see in the could find any trace of Crafty. Allowain checked out the town gates but the guards there confirmed they hadn't seen him leave the town. After that she headed to the docks. Valentine had beat her there and had arranged an appointment with the harbormaster. Jormungandr headed for the
market and set up with his lute to see what he could find out there,
Fallanthey went to the Scriveners Guild clutching a bunch of documents
taken from Crafty's house, before later meeting up with Allowain in The Mermaid's Fork, one of the local sailors hangouts. Biscuit meanwhile hit one of the local dives and proceeded to get wrecked until eventually Jormungandr found him and took him back to The Wicker Goat to join the others for a rather excellent evening meal.
By various means they manged to ascertain that Crodwell, accompanied by two women, had sailed the day before on the Chaste Maiden owned by his sometime business partner Bruchard Fhegan. The also discovered that Crafty and Bruchard had been at odds with a foreign merchant, Rhiopsis. They met with Rhiopsis the next day, and arranged passage to Khemit on one of his ships, The Lion of Scarra.
The spent the next day buying supplies and early the following morning turned up at the ship only to find the captain pacing the deck as some of his key crew members hadn't showed up after heading off to get supplies from one of Rhiospsis's nearby warehouses.
After getting directions drom the captain, they headed to the warehouse to find it guarded by a bunch of thugs and the sailors trussed up inside. The thugs had apparently been paid to delay the departure of The Lion of Scarra. After dealing with the thugs, handing them over to the Watch and freeing the crewmen the Party accompanied them back to the ship just in time to make the morning tide.
A Passage to Khemit
Three days out from Saltmarsh, the Lion of Scarra suddenly slewed violently and juddered to a halt. Valentine, chatting amiably to the helmsman, was thrown overboard, but the judicious application of a fly spell saved him from any danger of drowning. Back on the deck of the ship, Allowain watched in horror as what looked like the anchor chain wrapped itself round one of the sailors on the poop-deck and dragged him overboard. Immediately she dashed to the poop-deck, clambering up the ladder and drawing her rod of ropes as she went. Fallanthey meanwhile, like Valentine, took to the air, calling for aid. Down in their cabin Jormangandr and Biscuit heard some of the commotion above, though Biscuit seemed reluctant to disrupt his quest for booze in the cargo hold, until Jormangandr bribed him with a bottle of "elven wine"!Up on the deck Allowain had thrown a rope to the poor sailor who grabbed on to it like a drowning man, which being unable to swim he basically was! Valentine flying back towards the ship saw something attack the helmsman, before
diving back overboard. Alighting next to the fallen sailor he noted the
poor unfortunates throat had been ripped out, by something barbed,
judging by the ragged gash. Fallanthey meanwhile was dodging the anchor
chain, which snaked up to attack her before going on to wreak havoc
with the mainsail, causing one of the seamen tending the sails to fall
to the deck with a crashing thud.Jormangandr meanwhile had arrived on deck and ordered the captain the the remaining crew on deck below, while Biscuit tried to work out whether it was better to be on deck where there looked to be some action, or have another go at trying to get into the captain's booze locker. Allowain was pulling the sailor she had rescued up on deck when the weight on the rope suddenly doubled and a humanoid figure covered in chains clambered on to the deck and attacked her. Biscuit rushed to her aid, while Fallanthey began casting spells, discovering quickly that the devil was immune to cold-based ones, and resorting to magic missile. Jormangandr, for no readily apparent reason, summoned a couple of celestial badgers which ran around on the deck confusedly for a while, while his friends drove the devil overboard.
Once things settled down, the captain and crew returned to the deck and began repairs, Valentine offering to raise those slain from the dead the following day. Repairs took a couple of days, even with the Party pitching in to help, but once they got underway the rest of the six-week voyage passed without incident. Arriving in the port of Rosetta, they took rooms at a boarding house after sampling one of the local taverns where Jormangandr discovered that bards were not universally loved in the lands of Khemit, and Biscuit that a drop of apple wine went down a treat when spiked with fermented camel's milk! Once the ladies had shopped for some lightweight clothes more in tune with the locals, they quickly made contact with the local priest whose name they had been given - Tehi-neken.
Tehi-neken invited them into his home and introduced them to the local drink of iced-Khafee. He told them that he was aware of Crafty from his previous visits to Khemit. he told them that Crafty arrived several days ago, with two women. They purchased four donkeys and a cart for supplies, a large quantity of food, but little wine or water, and set of immediately, He told them he believed they left to rob one of the sacred tombs. When asked about the Crypt of Kholan, he said he was unsure of its location but would consult the Temple library and the gods themselves and asked them to return in the morning. After leaving the priest they went for an evening meal, Valentine and Biscuit being disheartened to discover the local taverns all seemingly had closed at sundown, before retiring to the boarding house.
Next morning they retuned to Tehi-neken who gave them rough directions, which seemed to gel with some of the maps and notes they had found in Crafty's house. The priest also bid them return to see him when their mission was accomplished as he had a proposition for them. The went out to buy supplies for a trip into the wilderness, Allowain buying a donkey and Jormangandr a hand-cart to carry supplies.
The Crypt of Kholan
The
Party left Rosetta mid-afternoon, heading out at first on the road then
across scrubland, following the directions given to to them by
Tehi-neken. The three day journey was not particularly arduous though
the heat of the sun during the day was unpleasant. Cleopatra, the
donkey Allowain had purchased coped well, but Jormungadr's
handcart proved a bit of a pain once the scrubland turned to proper
desert sand.They arrived
the small wadi that was their destination mid-morning and Biscuit and
Allowain scouted added finding the entrance to the crypt hidden by piled
brush. Clearing the brush revealed the entrance stone had been
removed from a chamber cover
ed
in hieroglyphics, the Hall of Memory, Jormungadr cast comprehend languages and was able to
tell them of the mighty deeds of the great hero Kholan.
A
passageway led back from the chamber cut into the rock at a 30 degree
angle, unfortunately their way was barred by a block of stone that
Allowain advised had been dropped from the ceiling. They pondered how
to bypass this obstruction for some time, until Valentine
said he might be able to do something in the morning, so they
retreated back to the Hall of Memory and camped.
Next morning Valentine used stone shape to get them past the blockage, beyond which there was two passages one leading upwards, one down. they took the upward passage, Allowain disabling a trap along the way, which led to a shrine to Set. There was little of interest there, save a serpent statue whose fangs had been removed and a set of hieroglyphics which referred to nearby temple.
Switching to the downward passage, Valentine and Allowain narrowly avoided a pit-trap before they arrived in what the hieroglyphs announced was the Mourning Hall. Here they found the body of a cleric of Kuroth , dead for some months and two destroyed clay golems. Biscuit opened the door to the eastern side chamber and was immediately attacked by four mummies. The mummies proved difficult foes, particularly as some evil in the crypt seemed to be bolstering them, however Valentine eventually managed to drive off three of them with Turn Undead forcing them back into the side chamber and blocking the door. The last one was destroyed by the concerted efforts of the Party.
The western side chamber was empty save for there large stone caskets, marked with the names "Babat", "Shefa" and "Emmereth". The hieroglyphs in this room puzzled Jormungadr as, although the seemed initially to be a simple listing of the (evil) deeds of the three followers of Kholan and several references to someone called "The Master", he was sure there was a hidden message there he was missing.
The final room was the Tomb of Kholan.
Kholan, risen as a Mummy of Khemit as befitted a Champion of Set proved a considerable foe, but after fearsome battle, the Party proved triumphant, especially once Valentine discovered that mummies were vulnerable to fire-based spells.
The Temple of Set
Leaving the tomb the Party discussed their options, eventually deciding to follow the tracks they had seen in the wadi in the hope that it was the cart that Crafty had bought in Rosetta. Unfortunately none of them was particularly good at tracking but, Led by Valentine, they managed to head in the right direction until Allowain spotted a stone building partially buried in the sand. As they approached, Biscuit spotted something buried in the sand which turned out to be a cart.Allowain examined the doors of the building, which were inscribed with coiled cobras, and pronounced them trap free. No one seemed particularly willing to go first, but eventually Allowain led the way. Inside the temple was apparently empty though they found signs of someone camping there in two of the side rooms. One of rooms, protected by a Glyph of Warding contained a considerable amount of treasure as well as two bedroll, while the other contained a single bedroll. Searching further they found a secret door a behind the altar, but as they went to open it were attacked by an Iron Mummy which had been waiting patiently seemingly under the cover of an invisibility spell. The Iron Mummy proved a formidable foe, immune as it was to most of Fallanthey and Valentine's magic, attempts to Turn Undead and even proving resistant to Jormungadr's many, many celestial badgers!
Eventually though the Party prevailed. After this being low on spells, Valentine suggested they rest. Lilke the previous occupant sof the Temple the camp split in two, mainly because Biscuit was unwilling to share a room with Cleo! Jormungadr went with him. Their rest however was brief disturbed first by a series of attacks by spell-casters and then a flesh golem lumbering into the temple.
The Fane of Set
A troop of skeletons charged into the room from the secret door as another flame strike slammed down on them! Fallanthey dashed back towards the from of the temple while Allowain tried to rouse Biscuit and Jormungadr once again. One of the enemy cas a spell and Valetine found himelf surrounded by a swarm of hissing vipers, their fangs biting into him! He stepped smartly away and a couple of fireball spells from Fallanthey soon put paid to the swarm. The skeletons proved more of an annoyance than anything else as Valentine's Turn Undead removed most of what little threat they presented almost immediately. Fallanthey found herself in trouble as someone, whom she belatedly identified as Crafty, stepped out of the shadows and sneak-attacked her!While Valentine dealt swiftly with the remaining skeletons, Biscuit charged in to the secret doorway and engaged Babat and Shefa dodging most of their magical attacks. Fallanthey withdrew from combat to quaff a potion leaving Crafty to target Valentine, fortunately Allowain and an invisible Jormungadr came to assist and the rouge was swiftly despatched. For a brief second a Holy Symbol of Procan appeared over the body, the acknowledgement of the god that they had discharged their obligation to his Temple. This freed Allowain to go and help Biscuit against the two sisters. Fortunately most f their spells proved ineffective against the monk save for a Melf's Acid Arrow and a Searing Light, and with the help of the rogue the two were quickly sent back to their eternal rest. After looting the bodies they returned to their campsite to rest, dissuading Allowain from further exploration of the area behind the secret door.
Next morning when he rose to pray, Valentine noticed with some dismay that the bodies of the sisters were gone, though Crafty's was still there. Rousing the others they found nothing of interest, however they also noticed that the cart that had been buried outside was gone. Eventually they decided to return to Rosetta, arriving at sundown a couple of days later. After spending the night in one of the local taverns, Biscuit somewhat overindulging in the fermented camel's milk.
Next day they arranged to see Tehi-Neken at the Temple of Hapi. The priest of Thoth was most interested in their exploits and somewhat concerned at what appeared to be an attempt to re-establish a forgotten Temple of Set. He asked if they were willing to undertake a mission of the Temple for which he assured them they would be well-recompensed at Biscuit and valentine's somewhat mercenary response. He informed them that he believed their recent adventure was symptomatic of some greater evil extending its influence though the Triple Kingdom, perhaps this unseen "Master" they had found references to in the Tomb of Kholan. He believed this malign influence was centred in the region of the Necropolis in the Gorge of Osiris. He wished the Party to investigate and if possible remove the evil ones that lurk there. He also urged the Party to retrieve and retain and "artefacts of evil" they might find, to remove their malign influence and for later return to the Temple of Thoth for safekeeping.
Once the Party accepted the mission he said he would make arrangements for them to travel upriver to Thebes and then onward to the village of Aartuat, the nearest town to the Gorge of Osiris. he informed them that a fellow priest of the Temple from the area will arrange a contact there to act as a liaison and gave them a passphrase that they might identify him. He also gave them two useful names Atmu-thoth-rahat, a dealer in antiquities, who may be able to aid them in identifying the purpose of any strange objects they might find, and Merha-aptut, a cleric of Hapy who can be relied upon to provide clerical services if required.
A couple of days later they were ushered onto a boat upriver to the capital Thebes. They had no time to sight-see in the great city as they were swiftly hustled to the town of Farnoc, where they joined a caravan heading out into the desert. Three days later, weary and sore-buttocked after traversing miles of desert on camelback, the caravan arrived in Aartuat. As they departed the caravan, they were pointed towards the caravanserai, where they might find lodging.