The session started with the party finishing a long rest in the testing room of Marker 2. Aswan, for the 4th time in a row, fought off the curse to turn into a black panther.
A stone tablet appeared with a riddle as to the location of the second marker.
The party quickly identified the riddle to be discussing water; however, it took some help from Bob the Blind (who was from the “Magaambombya University” (pronounced “Ma-Ga-aaa-Bomb-Ba”) to pinpoint that the riddle was talking about a royal foundation in the Necropolis.
After the riddle was solved, the Lost Pharoah (Hakoot I) said to Nix, “you could have just asked me where I like to visit.” Nix bantered with the rod for a bit, and it went silent.
As the party left the safety of the small temple that housed the first marker, their undead masks revealed information to each person wearing a mask. Most of the players did not reveal too much about the backstories of their masks, but the party did learn that:
- Zithgar’s undead ram mask had a couple of names, such as “Hey, move your ass along,” “you’re getting fat enough for the Gods,” and “He’s next up”
- Zithgar’s undead ram was part of the Royal Herd of Rams that were bred and raised as sacrificial animals for some ceremony the Queen Reborn does once a month.
- Zithgar’s ram likes to lick honey and checks his neck from time to time
- Nix’s mask was a house servant woman from the peasant class who was abused by nobles, and she hates them with a passion.
- Aswan’s mask is that of a noble teenager who died hot dogging around the River of Sand.
- Zephyr’s mask is that of a noblewoman, but we didn’t learn much more than that.
- Bob the Blind’s mask is that of a flesh spurned which we learned is the spirit of a person eaten by a purple worm and who now craves bodies to replace the one that they had, which had been dissolved by stomach acid.
- Belladonna’s mask is that of one J’ackie O’Nassus Of the House of K’enndi.” We learned that J’ackie O is the wife J’ohan Fitz’Gerhold K’enndi, who was the Vizier (e.g., the right-hand man) of Lost Pharoah Hakoot I. J’acki O revealed that after her husband was mysteriously killed when the Queen Reborn arose to power, she was poisoned by another noblewoman, that wanted my role in the court. As Jackie O lay dying from the poison, her soul clung to this plane, not wanting to leave my life in Per-Bastet, the Queen Reborn appeared to me and promised that if she took a blood oath, she would keep Jackie O from passing over and allow her to stay in some semblance of power after my unfortunate death in Bast.
- During some interactions with the undead (see below), the party learned that Karwl’s mask is that of something called a “spirit talker.”
The party moved through the streets of the Necropolis and encountered a group of undead noble zombies.
Before the noble zombies saw the party, the party overheard the following discussions:
“The Oath Wraith showed me the light—the Queen Reborn lied—we are being used!”
“She did not deliver what was promised—I feel that every night when we sleep in the pyramid that she is draining my energy somehow.”
“If the Servant succeeds, Tiberesh will overthrow the Queen Reborn, and when that happens, I am not crossing over—I am going to rampage with the others—we are going to kill all gnolls!”
Once the curse is broken—I am going to pass over— I miss my family, and they have already passed over.”
The undead zombies then saw the party as other undead creatures and they struck up a conversation. But once they saw the house servant (Nix), the flesh spurned (Bob the Blind), a royal ram, and the noble teenager (Aswan), they had some criticism and suspicion for the noblewoman (Zephry and Belladonna) with these peasants and lower- class.
Zephyr had to explain why she was with these lower classes.
As the party passed, Aswan heard Tiberish (through the idol), “My Servant is going his job – he is turning the undead against the Queen Reborn. Once enough turn on her, she will weaken, and together, you and my Servant can lead the attack to destroy her! You will find my Servant and lead the horde!”
The party continued through the streets, looking for the Royal Fountain. As they walked, some of the party noticed a humanoid figure draped in a black cloak, wearing a black rabbit mask.
As soon as the Black Rabbit realized it had been seen, it slipped into the shadows of the alleys and was gone.
The party continued on and encountered three fleshspurned undead creatures with full bodies at this point, and an undead gnoll who was licking skulls.
The undead gnoll stepped forward and demanded to know why the party was not marshaling at the gate for tonight’s riot. know why the party was not
After some funny banter and a number of successful persuasions and deception rolls, the party ALMOST made it past these undead.
However, when Bob the Blind said that they were on a secret mission for the Queen Reborn, they attacked!
It was a great fight, and Zephry used some new sand magic to trap two of the fleshspurned. Bob the Blind’s paladin powers helped Nix and a few other party members make successful saving throws as the undead assaulted them.
During the fight, the party also noticed a humanoid dressed as a Jackal watching them closely.
As quickly as the party saw the Jackal, just like the Black Rabbit, it too slipped into the shadows and was gone.
Eventually, the party was able to kill the two undead that were not trapped in the sand, and they left the other two that were trapped in the sand and continued on into the Necropolis, looking for the royal fountain.
After a few blocks, the party saw one of the minotaurs, Cable Clayborn, who was at the Shivering Mirage (session 4). They recalled that he and an adventuring group of minotaurs had come to Per-Bastet to join the Queen Reborn’s Great Hunt. Zithgar recalled that Cable sought to restore the minotaur race to glory.
Cable was surrounded by undead noble zombies who had knocked him to the ground and were about to kill him.
The party rushed to intervene, and the session came to a close after the first round was completed.