The session began with the party trapped in a burial chamber deep within the Tiberesh, a fish-head mummy standing before them.
The mummy was pleased at first that these new worshippers had arrived to serve him.
He explained that he was a Runelord and was seeking agents to assist him in overthrowing another Runelord named Meskhenit (Mes-KEY-Nit), who the party knows by another name — the Queen Reborn.
He went on to explain that the two of them, young, powerful, in love, and reckless, were under the leadership of Samuel E’to, the most powerful Runelord of all. He said that it was Samuel that created the master plan to build a magic weapon, using the power of void magic to attack the very Gods themselves.
Nix confirmed to the party that what this creature was saying about Samuel was consistent with what he knew.
The Mummy, still thinking that the party was there to serve him, explained that following the Purge, when the Gods came down and did battle with the Runelords, those few that survived fled into the newly created desert wastelands.
He and Meskehnit fled to Per-Bastet and went into hiding, deep within the pyramids. But they were not done with the pursuit of power — he explained that they believed they could harness the void magic that Samuel believed could be extracted forth from the Underworld and controlled in the material plane, to great effect. To accomplish this, however, one of them needed to enter the Underworld. So, Tiberesh requested that Meskehnit kill him and keep his heart and brain safe in the pyramids in Per-Bastet so his spirit/soul could enter the Underworld looking for a way to harness the void magic, and when the time was right, she was to resurrect him using his heart and brain.
However, something went wrong with the arrangement. He eventually found how to extend void magic back to the material plane, but Meskehnit refused to resurrect him. He reached across the void towards the pyramids in Per-Bastet, his arm and fingers trying to grasp her, but suddenly his arm was trapped– hallway between the underworld and the material plane!
Meskehnit watched as his arm became permanently stuck between the two planes– and it transformed from a man’s arm into a moving river of sand! The very river of sand that flows through Per-Bastet!
Furious, the mummy explained that he sought ways to get Meskehnit to help but to no avail. With him gone, she rose to power by herself and gathered a following of catfolk. The Nkosi (pronounced “Kosi”), who are shape-shifting cats, were ostracized by the catfolk and became the perfect servants for Tiberish when he promised revenge against Meskehnit (now known as the Queen Reborn). He soon had them under his control and had them infiltrate Per-Bastet to act as agents for him. He then used the River of Sand to send artifacts into the city to assist the Nkosi in his attempts to force Meskehnit to use his brain and heart for resurrection.
He finished his story by expressing frustration that the party (who he thinks are followers) has brought back in effect the “trojan horse” magic items he sent into the city to help overthrow Meskehnit (namely, the grimalkin idol and eye -which both can control cats). He further explained that the Queen Reborn was hoarding magic items, he believed, to power some magic that stopped his arm– the river of sand from getting to his heart and brain that he believes are inside a pyramid within Per-Bastet.
The party bantered with him, and Aswan offered to leave the grimalkin idol here at the tomb and to return to Per-Baste to confirm the truth of his statements.
This angered the mummy, and at this time, the party saw that the fish-head part of the mummy was an illusion and that the voice of the mummy was likely his– it was if something else was talking through him.
Karwl drunkenly sang songs and wandered around the chamber, noticing many jars on the ground with steam rising from their tops. She also noticed an undead hand on a pedestal. She approached and was thrown back by electrical energy. She threw a pot at it, and the electrical energy flew up and destroyed the pot.
Aswan used a cleric ability and detected that there were undead around, including multiple skeletons buried in the sand and an undead hand on a pedestal behind the mummy.
The mummy began to get agitated that the party was not going to serve without question, and again, he demanded that they return to Per-Bastet, taking back the Idol and eye, overthrow the Queen Reborn, find his heart and brain and resurrect him!
Karwl continued to sing bar songs, and the mummy asked Aswan why he traveled with a drunk.
There was more banter, and when it became clear to the Mummy that the party was not going to serve, he stood on top of his sarcophagus, holding a rod, and screamed. Nore attached a citizenship bracelet to his wrist and suggested that everyone do so.
The fight erupted with Zithgar grappling the mummy. As the party hit the mummy with physical weapons and fire, his rags fought back – attempting to hurt the attacker with poison and, when burned, emitting a toxic cloud.
The mummy hit hard, but the citizenship bracelets pulsed with energy and absorbed much of the damage.
The undead hand healed the mummy each round, and skeletons rose from the sand to assist the mummy. Zephry, Nore, and Karwl fought the skeletons while Zithgar and Aswan moved from attacking the mummy to attacking the hand.
Halfway through the fight, the mummy screamed again, and all of the pots in the chamber began to fly around wildly, causing the party to duck and dodge (giving them disadvantage).
Finally, the undead hand was destroyed, and the mummy was no longer healed. The party concentrated their efforts on the undead mummy, killing him.
As the mummy died, his rod fell to the floor, and a bottle that had been attached to his head fell to the floor in the form of a beetle brooch.
The party took the items and discussed what they should do next.
Was Tiberish to be believed? Was the Queen Reborn indeed refusing to use his brain and heart to resurrect him? Should be resurrected at all? Should the party head to the Magaambombya University” (pronounced “Ma-Ga-aaammmmm-Bomb-Bay”) to see if perhaps they have his heart and brain.
Karwl expressed a keen desire to search the local area for lost items, although she didn’t explain much more than that.
The party bantered a bit and decided that they would return to Per-Bastet to gather more information and perhaps play both sides. They also discussed entering the Great Hunt to see if they could assist Karwl in finding the missing items.
The session ended.
