At the Temple of Thoth, Father Malai had described the Hall of Gods to Menka and stated that it would be a good idea to show proper veneration to the gods if we entered that sacred hall. Father Yuyu had described the prayers and intonations for proper sacrifice and veneration to Osiris for this purpose and Menka made note of it (see 5.6.6).

Lycovyne gave Frey the Bracers of Archery (UA pg. 98) with the provision that if Frey left us he would give them back.

After we dropped off our horses at the stables, Lycovyne made a quick 50 gp working the glory hole in the porta potty in the parking lot. He made a constitution check but the rash was still visible, and the pus appeared to be steaming and bubbling slightly.

It was about 1:30 in the afternoon on the 31st day and the crypts sat in the Cliffs of Sirona 15–20 miles directly south. Having left our horses behind, we would get more than halfway there on foot by nightfall. We were dressed for adventuring in cooler climes or underground, most definitely not for marching through the desert. As a result of the heat and the armor, we were moderately encumbered.

We followed an initially well maintained path south. Frey kept an arrow nocked. We marched slightly uphill through date palms and acacias. The path soon became not maintained at all, entering into an open, hilly plain, with weeds and small cacti growing up in the road, occasional washouts and rockfalls in hillier sections making the path slightly trickier to navigate. After 6 quiet miles we came across the corpse of a large, dead creature in the middle of the road. Dead for 2 days, it was a mammal, a large cow of sorts, and larger than a horse, with curly dark fur, a huge head and short horns. Half eaten, with huge bites taken out of it. It had been clawed and bitten by a large predator.

Proceeding carefully, we kept our eyes peeled for any signs of just such a large predator, keeping in mind that all we really needed to do was outrun Gonchar. Frey noted that a large group of that same animal we had seen lying in the road had fled west, evidenced by running hoofprints, and that the marks of large, clawed feet were visible on the ground around the corpse. Freyvior noted that whatever it was had not walked away – and had likely flown away.

We continued our steady uphill climb and the terrain continued to be hilly, barren and became even more rugged. 3 miles further and we sighted a herd of the bison-like herbivores the Commanch were said to subsist on. It had been one of these creatures that we had encountered, slain and half-eaten, some miles back. The herd eyed us warily, particularly what appeared to be the large bulls, but continued grazing.

Darkness Falls to the Ground#

As darkness neared, we turned our thoughts to finding a protected space to spend the night. Frey searched around off the path, looking for a protected cave or even a simple rock outcropping where the druid could Stone Shape us some lodgings for the evening. While searching he found the corpse of a coyote, killed by a different type of predator than the large herbivore we’d found previously. The carrion stench was ten times what it should have been and the area smelled truly horrific, redolent of decomposing flesh and something more foul and sinister. He related this story to us and we decided to move on rather than camp anywhere in the area.

One more mile south (roughly 13 miles travel for the day) we found a rock cliff face suitable for Stone Shaping. It was near midnight and the area was thankfully devoid of the reek of foul carrion. Kyril Stone Shaped a room into the rock cliff, leaving a narrow slit open by way of a door. Watches were set and we tucked in for the night.

During the watch of Kyril and Seamus, the two were assailed by the stench of fishy rot and excrement and 4 ghasts of Kn’yan hopped out of the darkness, on kangaroo-like legs, their yellowish-red eyes glowing, their claws on long, reaching arms, disturbingly human-like faces, but without noses, foreheads or features beyond those burning eyes and huge, teeth-filled mouths spread wide in a mockery of a human grin – they attacked our dwelling, trying to get in. Those sleeping needed to make a saving throw to wake up, while those on watch needed to save vs. poison to not be sickened by the stench. Freyvior made his save and woke up, though both Kyril and the ranger failed their save vs. poison and began to projectile vomit.

• surprise
• Seamus punched a ghast through the door slit, nailing it for 10 points
• Kyril threw up every meal he had ever eaten
• a ghast claw through the door slit successfully hit Seamus, doing 6 points of damage
• initiative win
• Cathal and Gonchar made their saves and woke up to the scene of smelly horror
• Seamus missed
• Gonchar hit a kangaroo-like ghast for 17 points
• Seamus got clawed for 11 more points and, failing his save vs. paralyzation, fell over, stiff as a board
• Gonchar hit the ghast again for 11 points
• initiative loss
• Menka woke up
• Gonchar got bitten but made his save vs. paralyzation
• He got bitten again and saved, again
• The ghasts missed Cathal
• Gonchar nailed his assailant twice for 27 points, destroying it
• Cathal hit twice for 22 points, attacking through the door slit
• initiative loss
• Gonchar got bitten for 3 points, made his save
• Menka whipped out his ankh and turned the stinking abominations
• 4 ghasts of Kn’yan (1 destroyed, 3 turned)

Cathal slipped through the door slit and dragged the stinking kangaroo corpse 50’ away. He sensed evil and woe in the area. Uneasy, he returned to us and applied some first aid.

Cathal’s uneasiness increased. Terrified, Lycovyne bolted, running into the night like his ass was on fire. In the stinking gloom we saw several horrifying, worm-covered Sons of Kyuss approaching, staggering ghoulishly through the night towards us, their eyes hollow and crawling with fat, wriggling worms. Menka produced his ankh again and turned the disgusting undead beasties before they could close with us. The Sons reeled, fled at their slow pace and disappeared back into the night.

• 3 (?) Sons of Kyuss, turned

Kyril shapechanged into a bloodhound and went off in search of Lycovyne. Frey and Cathal followed after the bloodhound. They found Lycovyne cowering against a large rock. Cathal approached and his anti-fear aura cleared Lycovyne of his terror. Everyone returned to Chateau d’ Kyril.

The aura of evil and woe had dissipated and so had the stench to a large extent. We did our best to rest and the following watches proceeded without incident. The sun belched down upon us, shining through the door slit. We broke camp and emerged into the morning light.

Black Sands and Blue Dragons#

We continued our march south, and the temperature rose steadily as the day wore on. In the distance we saw a chimera, its lion’s head chowing down on a dead horse. It regarded us balefully, though it simply picked up its equine meal and flew off to the south. Thankfully.

Continuing on, the dwarves noted that the sand had changed character and was now coal black. The terrain gradually changed into rocky, volcanic badlands. Far off in the distance we saw a very large, blue and gray dragon flying around. It was very far off and did not seem to notice us. Thankfully.

We continued our march through the rocky highlands and the Apollo Creed lowlands. The ground seemed to drop away ahead and high, rocky ground flanked the path to the east and west. The road sloped gently down into a long valley flanked by cliffs, the ground becoming crumbled, black volcanic rock.

A half mile away in the distance a cliff face rose 200’ into the sky at the end of the valley. We could see a cavern entrance high up in the cliff. The trees were thinning out as we progressed, with only a few standing here and there. As we approached the cliff crumbling crypts and broken gravestones lined the road. Among the crypts and stones lay empty graves back-filled with the black sand, their occupants perhaps moved to the newer cemetery.

The road led into a valley 1/4 mile wide. In the middle of the valley ahead of us several tall, black stones sat atop a small hill. A crumbling bridge crossed a stream flowing east-west. As we neared the cliffs we noticed that a coal black building perched atop the hillside leading to the cliffs, below the cavern entrance, to the south.

We marched past row after row of the disinterred, sand-filled graves. As we stepped into a sandy area past the 5th row a large blue dragon burst out of the sand (???) and breathed lightning on Cathal and Gonchar.

• surprise
• breath weapon attack, lightning
• Cathal and Gonchar both saved, but took 20 points of electrical damage, each
• initiative win
• Menka said a Prayer
• Frey drilled the blue beastie with a nocked arrow for 8 points of damage
• Flint zapped the dragon with his Wand of Wonder (and a 61), shooting a foaming stream of beer toward it which, though delicious, did not reach the beast
• Gonchar threw his hammer and hit it for 24 points
• Frey drilled it again twice for 12 points, aided by Menka’s Prayer, killing it
• blue dragon, 40 hp

Cathal bound his wounds as well as Gonchar’s.

Menka and Lycovyne butchered the slain wyrm, acquired some spell components from the dragon. Menka tapped it for a pint of blood and tore out a claw. Lycovyne harvested similar components and stuffed them in his bag.

Frey and Flint ascended the hill to examine the standing stones. They (the stones) were obviously very old and covered in carvings of tentacles and gnashing teeth. The two brave heroes refrained from interacting with the stones in any way.

We continued south. As we marched we encountered the same trees we’d last seen when we exited the Monastery of Dianchecht. Adorned with disgusting, pulsating flowers and reeking of carrion and death. Frey noted the presence of ghast tracks on the road. He also noted that 5–10 horses had passed this way but only one had returned. The corpse of a horse lay next to a crumbling mausoleum.

To Cross The Bridge#

It was mid-morning as we reached the crumbling bridge. The opening into the cliff stood far above our heads. The bridge was 100 feet long. We were apprehensive about crossing it on foot. Cathal offered to leap and Levitate across, and we thought it prudent to tie a rope to him to pull him back in case it all went pear-shaped.

We did so and he leapt across the bridge with Gonchar holding the rope. The rope began to twitch violently and Gonchar handed it to Menka and ran across the bridge. The dwarf stopped mid-bridge, shouted to Cathal then yelled back to us: “spiders! and don’t fall in the water – one at a time!”

Kyril ran across the bridge, followed by Seamus. Menka then ran across. By the time Menka arrived on the scene, the bodies of 5 huge spiders littered the scene. The spiders came upon Cathal all at once. Luckily Gonchar and Cathal had made their save vs. poison.

• initiative loss
• Cathal hit for 15 points, minus first aid, Kyril Cure Serious Wounds (74/85)
• Gonchar hit for 11 points, minus first aid, Menka Cure Serious Wounds, Cathal Lay on Hands (100/100)
• 5 huge spiders 25, 25, 25, 25, 27 hp

Cathal had been fighting the spiders while clinging to one of the disgusting trees. It shook like hell the whole time he held on and continued to shake after he dropped to the ground. Seamus gave the knight a healing draft from his tankard, getting him to (79/85).

The rest of us crossed the bridge. The water looked frigid and was disconcerting to look at. We definitely did not want to step in it. A squat black building stood to the left of the bridge. One lone, unhealthy looking tree stood next to the shack. Four dead horses had been tied to the tree and all had been torn to pieces. We checked the saddle bags, finding nothing other than iron rations and water skins. The bags were stamped with symbols indicating they’d come from the far, far north. Probably Cragenheim.

The small building emitted evil. It was open on one end and seemed to be fashioned from black marble. Frey and Flint looked into the building and chucked a coin into it that was emanating continual light. It promptly disappeared. They looked no further and we skipped out on further investigation.

A long, winding path led up the steep slope of the cliffs to the yawning aperture. It did not look safe, and certainly was not OSHA compliant at all. Cathal Levitated up and Seamus followed him, sure-footed. We used the Rope of Climbing (activation phrase: “Baaaahhhston Toooo Thou Sands Foooooor!”) and, through a comedic mixed bag of successes and failed dex checks (one of which caused Menka to plunge down from one path to the one below it on the winding cliff-face and incur 7 hit points falling damage) we all made it to the aperture safely.

Entering the Crypts#

The Crypt entry was a large platform containing 2 crumbling statues and an entrance into the cliffs. Cathal did not recognize the statues but Menka identified them as the Greek (Achaean?) god Hades. Steps led down from the platform into the crypts, the dim stench of death and desiccation filling the air of the large chamber at the bottom of the stairs.

This was a large, diamond-shaped chamber, fully 60 feet across at its widest point, a 20’ hallway leading south, 10’ wide corridors to the east and west. There was a lot of sand and dirt in this entry chamber, which seemed to track into adjoining corridors but then became a stone floor. It was dimly lit from sun shining in from the stairwell above. The walls of the room contained burial niches and alcoves, two or three placed vertically on top of one another for every 10 feet of wall. These niches appeared to have largely been looted, some were empty, others were not but the bones within seemed crumbled and dusty.

Out of nowhere we heard a woman’s voice yelling for help to the west. We hurried down the western corridor, past doors in the northern/southern walls, to an open chamber at the end of the hallway, the source of the yelling, to find a female creature, with a human face, hair and breasts, the lower half a lion, with wings, in the process of being molested by two horny creatures with rams heads and lion’s bodies, also with wings. No evil detected, they seemed to be simply … overstimulated. We attacked them.

• initiative surprise
• Cathal hit one of the sphinx creatures for 9 points
• Gonchar hit the other for 14 points
• Menka and Seamus missed
• Frey hit one of them at close range twice for 14 points
• initiative loss
• Cathal got clawed for 9 points
• They hit Seamus for 8 points
• Frey hit one again for 8 points
• Cathal nailed one for 36 points, killing it
• Seamus missed
• Gonchar hit the remaining sphinx for 15 points
• Menka missed
• the female sphinx clawed it twice
• initiative win
• Menka hit it for 10 points
• Gonchar and the female sphinx missed
• the sphinx attempted to flee and Seamus killed it
• 2 cryosphinx, 47, 54 hp

She thanked us and her voice echoed throughout the chamber ^{[A gynosphinx – we had met one before, Otessa. See 2.12.3.]} . She told us she was from the south, in the Qeb Mountains. She left the Qeb Mountains in search of new territory because she was annoyed by the cyclops there, and terrified by the dracosphinx which had taken up residence in the mountains. Those mountains were several days’ travel to the south.

She knew where the Temple of Thoth was from here – due south, over the mountains, enter the mountains where the stone men were. There was a path which led through the mountains, and the temple lay beyond – a few miles, quick flight. She knew that travel there was dangerous – “brown dragons lurk beneath the surface on the plains south of here, there are many of those big one-eyed giants, and there is a Draco-Sphinx in the mountains – he’s scary. I’m not going back there. There’s a blue dragon near here, I flew in here to escape him. I was going to wait until dark to head out and get to the river, but then these two assholes appeared. I’m trying to find a good cave near the river, away from men – no offense.”

We searched the adjoining chambers, finding little more than sleeping mats, gnawed bones and old, rock-like sphinx fewmets. Among these crappy “stones” we found an actual loose stone with a burlap sack under it. The sack contained 600 pieces of platinum and a ring, praise Thoth!

• Cryosphinx Loot!
• 600 pp
• ring

4 sarcophagi lay in the room to the north. While our backs were turned a mummy emerged from an adjoining corridor and approached us, though Menka was able to turn it. The sarcophagi contained little more than gnawed bones.

• mummy ?? hp (turned)

We turned south and smelled an awful smell of something cooking, and through an open doorway off the corridor to the west happened upon three two-headed trolls! They threw a pot of boiling water and cooking … something … at Cathal and Gonchar, hitting the latter for 4 points.

• initiative loss
• “dwarf tastes better than half-orc!!!” quoth one of the heads
• two of the trolls attacked Gonchar and one hit him for 11 points
• Cathal got bitten by the third troll for 7 points
• he returned the favor with his sword, nailing it for 39 points!
• Gonchar hit one of his assailants for 22 points
• initiative loss
• Cathal got hit for 7 more
• he returned fire, doing 29 points, knocking the repulsive beast down
• Gonchar hit the troll again for 28 points, killing it
• Flint tried to burn the downed trolls with his flaming sword while Cathal hacked at them and Gonchar stomped on their heads with his hobnailed boots
• it worked, and the trolls were burned to cinders
• 3 two-headed trolls, 70, 59, 47 hp

Cathal doled out some first aid and Gonchar quaffed a healing.

Flint searched the troll-room and found it to be an ossuary. Within, he found a large bag containing ring mail, clothing, sword, shield, boots and a bag containing pieces of silver and gold. He took it all.

• two-headed troll loot!
  • ring mail
  • clothing, boots
  • sword, shielf
  • bag of gold and silver (no count)

The troll room was off the western end of another crossroads in the dungeon. To the south, the corridor continued into the darkness. A corridor extended east and double doors stood in the wall on either (N-S) side of the hallway. The doors in the northern wall were broken and stuck open, the masonry crumbled around them. The doors to the south were closed and had a plaque next to them: “Mykedios, merchant of Achaea, who sold strong liquor”. The broken doors in the north wall had no plaque, just an empty spot where one had once been.

A two-foot-wide hole yawned in the wall above the doors in the southern wall. We heard noises behind them in the ossuary. A large worm of some sort attacked us from the hole. Frey, with an arrow nocked, hit Lycovyne in the back (rolled a natural 1) – luckily the elf had recently cast Stoneskin upon himself and avoided harm, though the dweomer ended with the hit.

• initiative loss
• Cathal slashed the worm for 14 points
• Gonchar then whacked it for 17 points
• Menka missed
• initiative tie
• the worm-like creature retreated back into the hole, having suffered 31 points of damage in short order

The doors to the south seemed to be sealed with plaster. Flint climbed the wall and looked into the hole – it seemed to open directly into the room, beyond. Another, matching hole was high in the opposite wall and the dwarf saw that it was emanating heat. There was also a trail of slimy blood left behind by the wounded creature.

Gonchar, Lycovyne and Cathal opened the “ajar” door to the crypt on the northern side of the corridor. 3 Sons of Kyuss appeared!

• initiative loss
• one attacked Cathal and a worm leapt from the disgusting corpse onto the knight and began to burrow
• Menka turned the Sons of Kyuss and held them at bay (footnote: concentration by the cleric is required if the turned creatures cannot easily get away.)
• Cathal took 3 points of damage when Flint burned out the worm with his flaming sword
• 3 Sons of Kyuss, turned

Broken items littered the room, including broken holy symbols, one of which seemed to be a symbol of Osiris. At least one of the Sons was formerly a servant of the good deity. Menka grabbed and pocketed a holy symbol in the shape of a white crown. Flint found some coin and a letter:

• Ossuary loot!
• 4 pp
• 6 gp
• white staff of Osiris, magical, possibly THE staff (see the letter), Menka holds it

We exited the room and Lycovyne used 2 charges from his Wand of Frost to finish off the Sons of Kyuss (27 hp each). We didn’t want them following us around. They survived the icy blast from the wand, so we polished them off the old fashioned way, with cold steel.

Kyril, who had been keeping watch on the northern-southern corridor down the hall, went suddenly stiff as something blazed by him from the south at top speed. An 8’ tall umber hulk had charged him, though his cloak deflected it.

• initiative loss
• Seamus saved vs.\ magic
• Cathal saved vs.\ magic
• Kyril, confused, attacked the nearest creature, which luckily happened to be the umber hulk
• Cathal hit the creature for 12 points
• Seamus missed
• initiative tie
• we noted that one of the umber hulk’s eyes was keeping watch on the hole above the door
• the umber hulk bowled past Seamus, hitting him for 8 points
• Cathal hit it for 11 more points with an attack of opportunity
• Kyril, still confused, attacked Cathal
• Cathal shield smashed him for 3 points, trying to knock him backwards and out of range
• the umber hulk ran south and disappeared from view

Cathal applied some first aid to Kyril once the druid snapped out of it.

Before we continued our exploration south into the liquor merchant’s tomb, we looked into the open room to the east – it was a large, diamond-shaped room, of similar dimensions and descriptions as the entry-chamber we had entered the crypts through – except that a rough, mottled green pillar stood in the center of the chamber. We turned back west, to where a liquor-seller was buried.

We turned our attention to the sealed tomb of “Mykedios, merchant of Achaea, who sold strong liquor”. Gonchar shattered the plaster around the door and we opened it. A sealed sarcophagus occupied the room. There were 3 large holes in the south wall, two casks in each of the south corners and wine racks lined the south wall – there were evidently once-full wine racks on the south wall that had been toppled by whatever burrowed through the wall. Gonchar – somewhat frantically – searched the rubble and found 3 bottles of venerable Dionysian wine worth at least 100 gp each, and stuffed them in his pack, salivating. There were also 2 barrels of brandy, one of which was broken and spoiled, the other full.

We all bravely exited the room while Flint examined the sarcophagus and looked for traps and while Gonchar was examining the wine racks, having just pocketed the three bottles of hooch. Two of the giant worm creatures attacked from the holes in the south wall!

• initiative win
• Gonchar hit a worm for 14 points
• he got bitten in return for 21 points and his armor began to rot (melt? rust?)
• Cathal rushed into the room and got bitten for 12 points, and his armor suffered the same fate
• Gonchar killed one worm
• the second worm retreated into the hole

Gonchar, Cathal and Lycovyne were all in need of armor repair.

Flint found no traps in the sarcophagus – within was a moldering mummy, but not the sort which got up and hit you and terrified you and all that unpleasantness.