"RIGHT AND LEFT YOU WILL TURN TO SEEK ME.
TURN AS YOU MIGHT, THERE IS NO ESCAPING MY CURSE.
FOUL IS THE DEATH THAT SHALL HUNT YOU DOWN, SWIFT ITS STRIKE, BURNING ITS MEASURE OF PUNISHMENT.
HUNT THE WAY AS LOWLY ONES, MY IRON TEETH WILL DEVOUR YOU.
DELVE DEEP AND THE TEARS YOU SHED WILL BURN AND WASH YOU AWAY.
TURN AND TWIST BACK AND FORTH AND THE END IS THE SAME AS AFORE - DEATH.
BEAT DOWN THE PORTAL TO NO AVAIL, FOR ROCK IS UNYIELDING
FAIR GHOLLE OR KINDLY DAEMON YOU ARE NOT; NO GATE PASSES YOU THROUGH.
SO YOU MUST ACCEPT THIS DARK CURSE AND THUS FIND YOUR DARK FATE."...
"FOUR FALSE PORTALS, THE FIFTH WAY FOUND. THAT IS NINE. I AM NINE AS WELL. SO NOW DO I THUS CURSE YOU FOR YOUR TEMERITY. YOU SEEK ME AND MY SECRETS AND MY TREASURE? YOU SHALL FIND IT AND ME IN DEATH. SOON NOW YOU WILL JOIN PNEUSSET, BUT YOU WILL BE HIS SLAVES."The ecclesiastics amongst the group explain what Aegyptian lore describes as the nine parts of a person, thus:
Ab: Heart, which is the seat of Wisdom.
Ba: Soul, sublime, noble, and mighty, which can remain with the Ka (below) or become ethereal, corporeal, etc.
Ikh: Glorified being, which may become a Sahu (incorruptible spirit being), a portion of Intelligence.
Ka: Double of the physical self, which lives on within the tomb, a portion of Strength.
Khaibet: Shadow, which always lingers near the Ba, a portion of Dexterity.
Khat: Body (and corpse, eventually mummified), a portion of Constitution.
Khu: Spirit, which travels where it will, now manifest as a human-headed vulture. This trait is a portion of Charisma.
Ren: Name, which must remain, for the destruction of the Ren will destroy all the other parts; also seen as Ran, a portion of Intelligence.
Sekem: Power & vital force, which goes on to the Afterlife- a portion of all statistics.
The Nine Curses of Pneusset: Each of these nine part-entities has the ability to bestow a powerful magical curse upon those who enter, and thereby desecrate, the Tomb.
I forgot to bring the map to work again.
Let me know if there is a Stone Tell cast, and upon what.
Paavo will ask the Statue what is the purpose of this room? Who knows - maybe it talks.
It does not react in any way.
The room is 30' square with a small exit about 5' wide and 7' high in the west wall.
A general aura of uncertainty pervades the chamber.
The walls and ceiling are inscribed with many forms of writing and illustration. The depictions here are of Pneusset and various other Aegyptians, male and female, royal, noble, and commoner, all engaging in religious and domestic activities. Pneusset is seen in various situations: eating; attended by slaves and servants; entertained by musicians, dancers, and performers; accompanied by his harem of concubines; speaking to an audience of lesser priests, and so forth. Hieroglyphs and hieratic script recount his typical activities and state that Pneusset will enjoy these things and more after death. On the north wall just west of the entry is an admonishment aimed at intruders.
"Note all the great happiness of Pneusset , and know that the Set Pneusset will haw greater joy still. Welcome to all you who enter, for you will serve under His power and pleasure."In the far left hand wall (southeast) corner of the chamber is a huge statue of the evil one, the archenemy that you seek. (The players should pick up on the clue, the avoidance of Pneusset's name!) It stands upon a 4' plinth and holds a great iron rod in its hands.
The huge statue appears to be made of red sandstone, painted and gilded to give it a lifelike appearance. It is 24 feet tall and 9 feet broad. It must weigh tons! And that means it was probably carved right here.
From its sandaled feet, linen kilt (girded with leather), and gild on above to the ornamental collar and headdress (clasped by the uraeus serpent), this figure appears as a giant replica of an Aegyptian of old. There are gilt rings on its fingers, armlets of gold and red on its arms, and even a knife and some strange sort of Ankh, both painted realistically and carved to appear as protruding from the girdle. The natural coppery-hued sandstone is used to show the flesh, as is typical for males depicted thus. The eyes are strange, of course, for they are of some crystalline substance and cast bright beams of light, seemingly wherever you desire, as if by mental command from you.
A massive 19' iron rod extends from the statue's base up through the hands, which are carved so as to hold the thing. Upon the tip of the rod, which reaches to the middle of the statue's chest, is represented some beast's head, perhaps a camel's. The rod was evidently slid into position when the statue was completed.
The 4-foot-tall block is 6 feet square, and made of the same red sandstone as the statue.
On the floor in the center of the room is a circular mosaic showing the 12 divisions of the sky, with a bronze dial in the center and a pointer topped by a bronze knob.
Inlaid in the center of the stone floor is a circle of bronze, 10' in diameter. Bronze strips divide it into twelve wedges of equal size. Each wedge is fashioned of inlaid stone and tile to depict one of the houses of the ancient Aegyptian zodiac.
Attached to a large bronze dial in the center of the circle is a 3' long bronze pointer. Gold markings are inlaid in a field of black near the center; these are Aegyptian numeral heiroglyphs, one for each wedge of the circle. The orientation seems to be toward the north, for the marks for twelve lie in the wedge nearest you, that of one lies in the north-northeast wedge, two in the northeast wedge, and so forth.
Between these numerals and depictions of the zodiac that will be described for you in a short time are thirty-six gold-gilt cartouches, three in each wedge. These apparently give the names of deities but none that you recognize in the slightest. Furthermore, strange male deities are depicted in brilliant color at four points outside of the circle. All of them hold oddly shaped devices in their hands, and each has a human body, but multiple heads and wings. These are as follows:
Nearest, as 12: Four ram heads, four black wings.
At 3: Ram and beetle heads, four grey wings.
At 6: Lion and scorpion heads, four red wings.
At 9: Serpent and hawk heads, six green wings.
And finally, there are the twelve depictions of the zodiac itself. These are as follows, starting with the one nearest to the door and proceeding clockwise:
12: Straight-horned blue ram crowned with four plumes (red, white, blue, and gold) on a pale green field.
1. Pair of great fish with pearly teeth, one coral-hued and the other silver-gold, against a dark background.
2. Man with white skin, crowned by green leaves and red flowers, pouring silvery waters from two golden chalices into a deep blue background.
3. Three-horned goatfish of silver and white, upon a field of dark green.
4. Winged black centaur with scorpion tail, wearing a red crown, flanked by two gold feathers, drawing a bow; royal purple background.
5. Dark-red scorpion, with claws and stinger of jet, crawling on a pale gray ground.
6. Golden solar disc, a falcon in its center supports the beam of a balance, from which two iron pans are suspended by silvery chains; background is black.
7. Priestess with pearly-hued flesh, wearing a golden headdress and bearing a gold scepter, standing on a deep brown field.
8. Bronze-maned lion adorned by a double crown of purple and gold, on a blue-green field.
9. Orange scarab beetle with claws and mandibles of silver, upon a field of dark grey.
10. Two humans of pinkish hue, raising hands to touch one another; the male's headdress is of gold feathers, and the female's is a golden sun and uraeus serpent; background is indigo.
11. Black bull with pearl blaze, and ruby hooves and horns, bearing a silver crescent and white moon-disc on its back, upon a variegated field of light blue, light green and violet.
Khonsu gets druid spells, right? He should memorize Detect Snares and Pits. Even if the pit is not a "trap" he should still see it.
It would only last 12 rounds and probably wouldn't be effective if the pit was magically masked from all detection by an ancient Aegyptian
plot device curse.