It's bigger on the inside.
We got a few hours away from the small village at this oasis when I decided to inform my new traveling companions of what I am looking for. When they asked why I told them, well, I was never informed of why. A blatant lie I know, but that’s okay, they don’t need to know. I know it’s only to help protect my clan from the terrors that dwell in the mists, but how can I be sure they wont try to steal it from me? Truth be told I don’t even know if they will help me to return to my clan alive, but I need to trust them for now, so I’m going to. Volos is getting antsy, the only reason he hasn’t done anything is because I told him not to.
Anyway, we traveled for a few hours and in the heat of this wasteland some creatures are more severely affected. Holly and her familiar Dabs really liked the cooler temps inside my igloo. I tried to tell them I’m known as a frost mage, but I think the term is unknown where they come from. Fortuna and Keth seam to be more adaptable to this weather.
After resting for a bit we headed out again, and as we traveled in the dark, we were attacked by a giant scorpion-thing. It tried to carry off Fortuna, but I stopped it; I can’t let any of them die. As I explained to Volos, the more traveling companions we have, the greater our chance of success and getting home alive we have. Thinking about it, to have an ally, even this far away from the clan, might come in handy. Hopefully after we retrieve the chalice for the priestess that will be possible.
Middle of the next day we again tried to stay in my igloo to keep out of the heat, unfortunately we ended up being surrounded by more undead. Volos was able to make a quick distraction as i took out most of the creatures. Fortuna seems convinced she’s going to die, I won’t let that happen, I need them all to get home alive.
We traveled towards the mountain range, and as we reached some ruins I consulted my map and discovered we are where we need to be. Unfortunately we were attacked by more giant scorpions, and one that has a humanoid body. It was a tough battle until I realized some of what I was fighting is an illusion. Fortuna and Keth fell and were dragged off. Strangely enough even after I hit it with a spell it still just ran off with those two. Holly wants to chase after, and so do I, but something about this feels wrong, very, very wrong.
Goodmonth 2, 594 CY
Pharaoh’s Rest
As I languish here, waiting to expire, I can’t help but feel guilty that I didn’t manage to get all my lovely magical items into the hands of my sister. It’s not like I didn’t have enough chances.
Pyotr made me barter for “desert” gear before we left the oasis, and I got rid of a few daggers in the exchange. Apparently iron and steel are rare here, so I was able to outfit us all nicely. I still felt terrible, but, as I am sure that Keth has the same curse (even though he shows no sign of it), we pressed on, hoping to find the temple and a cure.
Pyotr made what he called an “igloo” with a spell— like a fort made of snow, but it didn’t melt. He did this during the hottest parts of the day so we could travel when it wasn’t quite so taxing. We did manage to attract a very large scorpion that tried to kill me. Knowing I was about to die, I threw off all my very best gear so my siblings would have some useful things to aid in their quest. Embarrassingly, Pyotr managed to kill the scorpion and Holli gathered up all the stuff I’d left in the wake of the monster. The look on her and Keth’s faces nearly made me smile. I made her keep my ring that is supposed to allow me “free movement.” Never worked for me anyway. They made me keep everything else though.
Later, in another temporary igloo, we were somehow discovered by a roving band of desiccated undead. Pyotr and his cat managed to kill (re-kill) the lot of them. Keth and Holli helped pick off the stragglers. We rested again after that, in a new igloo. Pyotr says he can make about a half dozen of them each day. Thankfully we were not attacked again though.
The next day found us walking over much uninteresting desert. We finally arrived at what was clearly a manmade structure in the shadow of a mountain. Keth snuck into the sand blown, crumbling walls of what had once been a great temple— the Temple of Neferti. But, once again, I managed to attract a scorpion. As I pass in and out of consciousness, I can feel my body being dragged into the temple ruins….
Goodmonth 3, 594 CY
Pharaoh’s Rest
I awoke in one of those damn igloos. My companions had been unable to heal me magically, but after about seven or eight hours I guess I’d had enough rest. Keth had been saved too, but had gone back into the temple to chat with a scorpionfolk called T’Tith who had, for reasons of his own, spared our lives. Keth made sure that it was okay for us to be in the temple (and apparently, this is a different definition of “okay” than I would have used), and, after a few more futile attempts to heal me, we descended some spiraling stone steps.
A bit of wandering later, and we found ourselves in a chamber containing four columns and a large, bronze, bull-headed statue brandishing a menacing-looking bronze axe. The runes on the floor around it were warning enough; we circumvented the entire area.
There had been three other means of leaving the chamber. One was no longer accessible due to a cave in, and another was a set of locked doors with an ankh-shaped indentation on the surface— and ankh that would be shaped just like the one we’d found in the last temple. Keth was carrying it, and as usual, was no where to be seen. It took me a while to convince Pyotr that we had a key. While we were investigating the final doorway (which lead to a room containing a lit brazier and three sarcophagi), the double doors were opened. Apparently Keth had been in the area.
After opening the doors further, I slipped inside the room before anyone else. The room contained two rows of columns and statues, and a sarcophagus at the far end. I leapt from one column to the next, avoiding the floor, till I was able to get to the end of the room. As I did so, I could hear a commotion in the outer chamber. In the doorway, I could see my companions had managed to activate the bronze statue and at least one large fire elemental.
I hopped down off of the last column onto the sarcophagus and pushed the lid off. I was hardly surprised when the mummy it contained rose up. I shot it with my crossbow and leaped back to the column. For a moment, a wave of fear passed over me and I was unable to move. I could see that Keth was actually in the room with me, Holli was in the hall fighting off the bronze statue, and Pyotr was now in the room. I had intended to rain fiery bolts down on the mummy till it burned up, but Pyotr had other ideas, and began to cast spells at it.
The next few moments seemed like a nightmare. I could see the bronze golem fighting a fire elemental in the outer chamber now— how Holli managed that I am not sure. I could see Keth behind the mummy near me and I could see Pyotr raising his hands to cast a spell. Before I could shout a warning, he cast it. He wounded the mummy severely, but unfortunately, his wildly-cast spell caught Keth, killing him instantly. I was screaming to Holli about what happened as I decided whether to shoot my next bolt at the mummy or the offending sorcerer….