Chapter 12: Time Out of Mind

[Inferno]

Chapter 12: Time Out of Mind

Beyond the False Tomb, Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Four. Late Afternoon, 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





Suddenly, impossibly, the band of explorers are standing before the sealed Tomb of Xuthalhotep!

Xorzen looks upon his hands and finds them unwithered! Mako searches his memory and finds spells uncast! Garrin and Zahra still hold lit torches!

Ibis-masked Amethu stands apart, holding a papyrus scroll.



Stunned, they all realize they have just vanquished queen Ankhara, deactivated a lurking trap, and not yet unsealed the tomb!

Everything they had experienced after opening the tomb was just a lifelike vision of the future, revealed to them by a spell of prophecy that Amethu recited from the enchanted scroll recovered in the massacre of Sutekh cultists!

And yet it was so real!

The astonished explorers realize with grim certainty they have seen their true future. If they fail to alter their actions now, alter the future itself, then their fate is truly sealed!


Actions?! And please read this.


Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/11, Spells: 4/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 13/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 10/14, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 8/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl,
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 11/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 11/21, Torch

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
  Healing Mists of Osorus (All except Amethu and Zahra): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."

Player Resources:

• The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
  Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
  Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
  An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Urson]

Zahra

The Amazon staggers, panting. Her eyes are wild as she looks around at the others. Gods above and below! I- I have no words. She steps away from the door and crouches, her back to the wall as she tries to collect her thoughts.


I'm not sure whether to be grateful that it was a vision, or furious that we went through such terror. We should use this knowledge wisely- Try to find the errors we made and avoid them.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako turns to Amethu "What's Zahra talking about? Hey, what are you reading? Get ready they are going to open the door."

[OGRE MAGE]

As confused as he has ever been, Xorxen just stands there, staring through his eye holes at his normal looking arms in sheer amazement.

He doesn't say anything until he has a better idea of what just happened, but a smirk slowly develops on his covered face.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri turns to face Amethu in calm, stunned silence, then puts his palms together and bows deeply, with respect. “Powerful magic,” is all he utters before turning back to the door, contemplating how he will change his actions this time around. “Perhaps we should use this opportunity to rest and recuperate. I could replenish my magic, which may be of some help.”

[SocraticLawyer]

"That's a great idea, says Garrin. "We'll have to face that monstrosity at some point, and we ought to go in fully armed."

The paladin helps to make preparations for the group to rest.

[Scott308]

Loche

Shaking his head, the Pict states, Bugger. That. Ah'ament gaun in thare! Turning away from the door, he asks, Whit noo?

[ravenn4544]

Amethu stands quietly for a few moments reflecting on what he witnessed. He looks at the door knowing that the ancient king rests in unrest just beyond.

"I didn't recognize anything that may be useful to us in the greater goal. Perhaps it was not made visible in the brief vision of what's to come. Knowing what we know now - must we face this ancient beast toe to toe? Is there a way to lay a trap to defeat it and allow us a way forward to that greater goal?"

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

"Amethu? That was you? That wasn't another bad dream? Was it real? Is that really what's going to happen if we open that tomb? Are we going to attempt to destroy the only opposition to Zargoth? It doesn't seem like a wise move. I will have no part of this. This endeavor is folly. I stand with Loche. It has already been foretold, no good can come out of this. We must move on."

[Urson]

Zahra

Perhaps there is something we've missed- some glyph or pictogram that will help us. Or maybe a second chamber with more wealth. She stands and paces. Could there be a way to politely ask the Pharoh for his weapons?

[Inferno]

Beyond the False Tomb, Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Four. Late Afternoon, 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





Far beneath the monstrous sphinx, mute, sardonic and wise beyond mankind and memory, the staggered explorers reel in the wake of unexpected visions of dark prophecy.

Their sudden temporal displacement leaves them in stunned disbelief, struggling to regain their bearings, questioning what is real and what is not.

Gradually, they begin to recover. Loche and Mako urge their companions to use this second chance at life to flee. Garrin and Kiri counsel rest, knowing that the miraculous effects of the Healing Mists of Osorus will return most of them to full strength in but a single night.


Actions?


Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/11, Spells: 4/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 13/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 10/14, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 8/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl,
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 11/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 11/21, Torch

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
  Healing Mists of Osorus (All except Amethu and Zahra): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."

Player Resources:

• The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
  Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
  Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
  An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[OGRE MAGE]

Still shaking out the cobwebs, Xorxen is grateful for his second chance at life. The monk has a plan of attack that will require his speed and lots of burning oil, but he agrees that a good rest would be best before attempting to take on this monster again.

"Let us tally our flammable oils before we rest. For I believeth fire our only chance to defeat thine undead spirit. For defeat it we must to obtain the items we will need.....below."

The masked monk claims a spot in the corner of the secret hallway to rest in. Before settling in, he searches through the areas of the false tomb once again, hoping to find more oil to add to the groups meager supply.

[Urson]

Zahra

Zahra nods. I only have candles- but you're welcome to them. She pulls the bundle of candles from her pack, keeping one that she lights. She then begins a systematic search around the room, from the floor up as high as she can reach. She's searching for any text that may provide a clue for the group.

[ChubbyPixie]

"I have no oil, but I do have a torch," says Kiri. "Let us move into the false tomb if we are to rest. There is no way but forward for me. Are we to flee into the murderous desert? The King must guard the sacred items we seek - it only stands to reason. I, personally, mean to press on, back into the tomb, after I am rested. Maybe do things a bit differently this time around."

[ravenn4544]

Amethu also thinks oil may be the best way. "We can't all be in there. Perhaps it is enough for one or two of us to free the Ancient One from his slumber. A trail of oil to light a pool it stands in seems like an option? A contingency would benefit us should that fail considering it's power. What if the oil fails? A second trap nearer the crawlspace?"

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin nods at the party's suggestions. "Let us rest in the false tomb," he says. "One way or another, we must contend with the pharaoh. It is his treasures that we seek, after all, before we descend to the dark city below.

"If we are to lay a trap, then two of us who are the swiftest should open the tomb and lead our quarry to the trap, where the rest of us will await. Who will join me in doing so?"

Are there any wall sconces for torches, either in the tomb or the false tomb? And will leaving a trail of oil make it difficult for the party to walk/run?

[Urson]

Zahra

I know I'm repeating myself- and perhaps I'm being foolishly simplistic- but I still suspect that entering the tomb and presenting our case to the Pharoh may work.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen joins the others who prefer to rest in the false tomb instead of the secret hallway.

He continues to search the place for anything that might have been missed.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu notices Xorxen searching. "should we investigate the area of the tomb we haven't finished yet? Perhaps a clue to help us can be found?" (the sw portion of the map)

[Inferno]

Beyond the False Tomb, Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Four. Sunset, 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





Lifelike memories of certain doom echoing around them still, the explorers in the secret passage fall back to the false tomb to rest and recover.

All but Loche and Mako give voice to their resolve to face dread Xuthalhotep again.

Before succumbing to exhaustion, they search the false tomb once more.

Zahra finds only texts and carved hieroglyphs that sing the praises of Xuthalhotep and Ankhara, extolling their virtues and mighty deeds. She wonders if the eons-dead artisans who painstakingly chiseled these walls knew this would be merely the false tomb.

Among the fake gold coins...




...and the fraudulent sarcophagi...




... are found leaden weapons, books, furniture, honey, wine, various ointments and perfumes, pottery, bowls, statuettes, dishes, and a large jar of oil.


Actions?


Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/11, Spells: 4/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 13/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 10/14, Spells: 1/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 8/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 8/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl,
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 11/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 11/21, Torch

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
  Healing Mists of Osorus (All except Amethu and Zahra): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."

Player Resources:

• The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
  Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
  Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
  An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)