The Temple of Osiris
Entering the Gorge
Before heading off down the gorge, Valentine asked "Anubis" for any advice on how best to approach the temple and was advised to "stride forward boldly!" Biscuit took this advice to heart immediately striding off at pace leaving the others to follow in his wake. The approach to the temple was an avenue flanked by two avenues of stone sphinxes. As Biscuit marched on, Allowain and Jormungadr paused a bit to examine the sphinxes noting that the paintwork on them
was
flaking and damaged as if it had not been well maintained recently.
Reaching they gates of the Temple each felt the blessing of Osiris fall
on them as they contemplated the large wooden doors. There was no sign
of life, but Allowain and Valentine eyed the arrow-slits and
murder-holes in the entrance way warily as Biscuit knocked confidently
upon the door. The door mysteriously swung open as if of its own accord
to reveal a scent of growing things and the perfume of flowers. About
20 feet beyond the door the entryway opened out into a courtyard. Two
broad steps led up to a covered hallway flanked by marble pillars,
either side of which were well-tended gardens with fountains. Biscuit
immediately headed for the left hand garden and ignoring a couple of
acolytes tending the small fruit trees therein settled on a bench near
the fountain and began to meditate. While Valentine kept a watchful eye
on him, Allowain and Jormungadr heed up the stars to the hallway noting
the columns were fashioned in the likeness of great men and women, they
eyes of which glowed with a magical green glow. At the far end of the
hallway three figures stood waiting a priest of Osiris flanked by two
priestesses who beckoned them forward. While Allowain and Valentine
waited somewhat impatiently, Jormungadr headed into the garden and
extracted Biscuit from his meditative state by the expedient of waving
a cup of rice wine under his nose. As Biscuit and Jormungadr rejoined
them they went forward en-mass, Valentine noticing that, somewhat
oddly, the priestesses were not clad in the traditional white expected
of priestesses of Osiris.The priest welcomed them if they had come to pay homage to Osiris and introduced himself as Tcheripep, and invited them in to meet with the High Priest. When the party accepted this invitation, he turned and flanked by the priestesses, led them deeper into the temple complex. As the went Biscuit noticed that the other people in the temple they passed seemed somewhat distant paying no attention whatsoever to the priest accompanying them and even less attention to the strange outlanders themselves. They were led, past a gaggle of chanting clerics, which for some reason felt vaguely uncomfortable, and then through a large set of bronze doors to the Inner Sanctum. This very large chamber was dimly lit, though as the approached dull red illumination sprang up out of the eyes of the figures of coiled serpents an hideous monsters hewn into the 12 marble columns that supported the roof. In the centre of the area was a large boat with a high bow and stern, a craft seemingly made of reeds in the Khemitian fashion. Behind this a large block that miht be an altar. Standing near the boat a man dressed in clerical robes stood. In hushed tones Tcheripep introduced him as the Hem-neter-tepi, Great Father of the God. After introductions were complete, the High Priest spoke. “I have divined that you are those mighty ones who slew
the vile demoncroc which threatened my brother, Merhaaptut, and all the good folk of the village. Such a monstrous thing has somehow managed to find its way to the blessed Osirium beneath this sacred place! It desecrates the venerable place.” His face is cut by lines of concern, and he wrings his hands as he continues: “I have tried, but I am unable to exorcise the wicked thing-not even with the assistance of my loyal Priests and Priestesses! I dare not risk their lives further, and soon I fear more of these bad things will come, overrun the holy waters, and possibly come above to slay us all and make this a place of darkness! Can you, will you help?" Biscuit immediately volunteered the Party's aid at which point the High Priest asked if they needed time to prepare, to which Biscuit replied they were ready now!
The High Priest thanked them once more, gestured toward the boat and bid them embark and began weaving a complex spell. As the spell completed, the floor beneath the boat began to drop slowly downward. The boat and floor sink
about 200 feet into a water-filled cavern with a foetid odour, with a
splash the boat settled onto the water and suddenly began moving ahead
at great speed - heading further downwards to the accompaniment of
rushing water. Te sound of rushing water abruptly ends and with it the
breakneck speed of the magical reed craft and the party found
themselves drifting under momentum in a large wide cavern. Biscuit
peered into the darkness with his darkvision while Allowain got out her
everburning torch to light the way and the boat moved slowly forward.
After a few minutes Jormungadr and Biscuit spotted ripples moving in
the water towards them. They just had time to call out a warning
as two giant hippo-headed-crocodile-demon attacked the boat. It was
touch and go for a while, as the demons proved resistant to both
mundane and magical assaults, but once Valetine case align-weapon on
Biscuit's fists they soon began to make progress slaying one then the
other of the demons, before the boat could be capsized!The attack had caused the boat to lose all its momentum but with makeshift oars made from a shield and a greatwsord and Biscuit doggy paddling in the bow, they managed to manoeuvrer the ship towards what looked like a boat landing in front of a large raised platform with some kind of building on it. Walking up the stairs from the landing they found themselves on a 50 ft square platform surrounded by great columns. In the centre stood a huge shrine of serpentine stone, carved into a 20-foot cube, the gate of which is of red-lacquered wood. Before the red door crouched a parody of a sphinx. A reptile-bodied thing with the head of camel. The figure was big and evil looking. Each side of the cubical shrine had its own gate, each with its own sphinx-parody guardian. The one facing south had the head of an okapi; north, an ass; and east, a warthog.
If anyone approached one of the sphinxes, it spoke thusly:
Camel: “Come, all you warriors. Each weapon must be laid down before me. He who does so may pass freely to within, where await weapons of better power for your taking.”
Ass: “Let the mages step forth and divest themselves of all that is of magical and its power. Then only may you enter here, to gain greater things and the knowledge of highest sort.”
Okapi: “Lay at my feet those things of your craft, all ye priests. Then pass into the shrine for the greater, which will be bestowed freely upon you therein.”
Warthog: “All others pass into the place of treasured reward here; and to do so, each must divest all things of power, each weapon, and all of magical nature, so that more than you gave will be given.”
Feeling something was off about these very generous offers, Biscuit summoned the others to the warthog gate and attempted to open it. The sphinx immediately attacked, but surrounded as it was by the Party it was swiftly despatched.
The Path of Osiris - Death and Resurrection
After some deliberation about the remaining two parody-sphinxes (and doors) the Party decided to try something else. Using dimension door from Fallanthey and Jormungadr they went to the walkway that surrounded the cavern.Ex
ploring
this walkway they found a giant bas-relief carving of a gate flanked by
two doors and six murals, all of which looked to be freshly
painted. All depicted a somewhat disconcerting scene, all detected
magic and Fallanthey was convinced at least one of them had some kind
of portal magic within. They spent some time examining these murals,
debating their possible meaning though everyone was careful not to
actually touch them! Eventually the Party settled before the bas-relief. The main gateway depicted was carved with all manner of demons and unwholesome looking monsters, bordered with carvings of other strange creatures, including representations of the pardoy-sphynxes guarding the shrine on the island platform. The doors carved either side of the gate were marked with symbols of Isis and Nephyths. After pondering for some time, eventually someone touched the symbol of Isis. The stone door vanished to be replaced by a portal glowing with a soft rose light. The Nephyths door when touched revealed a similar portal though this time of blackness.
Ever impulsive, Biscuit stepped through the Isis portal to find himself in a place of blinding white light, his body suffused with unberable amounts of positive energy. Jormungadr stepped though the Nephythys door finding himself in a place of utter darkness into which his life-force was leeched away. After a long pause, Fallanthey and Allowain followed Biscuit, but something made Valentine hesitate and he held back.
The cleric waited there two days, but his friends did not return, Eventually casting a divination he discerned they were no more and using a Teleport returned to the capital city to seek counsel from Tehi-Neken. After consultations, Valentine arranged for funding loaned from the Temple and the cleric of Thoth arranged for a high-level cleric of Osiris to resurrect the fallen members of the Party.
A couple of days later, after re-equipping as best they could (with some additional loans from the Temple), they used teleport to return to the area under the Temple of Osiris. This time they decided to finish-off the two remaining sphinxes. After the sphinxes were slain, they were able, after a few attempts, to open the doors which revealed a huge red-glowing statue of Set. The statue spoke, using command to try and get them to bow before it, the Party managed to resist and, in a fit of pique, Fallanthey retaliated by casting sound lance at the statue destroying it!
In the rubble left by the statue's destruction they found The Book of Eternity and a figurine of Set carved from a huge ruby. Valentine took possession of the book and Jormungadr the figurine. The Temple finally cleansed of the evil infecting it they returned to celebrate in Aartuat, the blessings of Osiris upon them.
