The Ruby Scarabs spent some time attempting to determine how they could release the entrapped sphinx from imprisonment, but were unable to find any way to set her free. Uto did what more he could to heal the injuries the spiteful lamias had inflicted on her. When the Scarabs realized that they didn't know what else they could do for her beyond waiting for the spell that held her to dissipate, they decided that they should climb up to the tent they had seen on the ledge above where the enormous serpent had appeared.
There was no way to reach the ledge from inside where the sphinx was held. They would have to cross over the bridge to climb up. Sula had remained in falcon form and could fly up to the ledge, but her companions would have to go on foot. While they were making their way across the narrow bridge, Sula armed herself with a spell to summon lightning from the heavens and flew over the tent to see what was there.
As Sula approached the tent, she detected movement inside it. On approaching closer she could see a serpentine figure, and what appeared to be some type of female giant. She felt some magic wash over her and realized that one of the creatures in the tent had noticed her and detected the magic of the spell she had ready. She flew away from the tent and sent a blast of lightning at it, signalling to the other Scarabs that there was something dangerous within the tent. Kaa began scrambling up the bridge supports, and Uto floated up into the air. In response, a large snake-woman creature slithered out of the tent into full view, revealing that the serpent and giant Sula had thought she saw were the same single creature. She also observed that the snake-woman showed no sign of having been harmed by her bolt of lightning.
Kaa stepped onto the surface of the bridge and called out to the snake-woman, asking her to surrender. He realized that although she resembled a serpent rather than a lion, she was a kind of lamia, a matriarch among her people. He breathed out a lightning bolt of his own, but the lamia evaded his attack. Sula tried the same tactic and experienced the same result. Then the lamia cast a spell on herself that made her movements appear more swift. Uto summoned a storm of hailstones down upon her. Kaa then raced across the bridge to come within arm's reach and pummeled her with his fists, while Sula brought down another lightning bolt that the lamia dodged. The lamia retaliated against Kaa by slapping him twice with her tail, leaving him stunned.
Azzaria's form became blurry and she crawled spider-like up the side of the bridge to pass Kaa. Suddenly just after avoiding another burst of lightning from Sula the lamia vanished. While Uto summoned a creature from another plane to pursue the lamia, Kaa recovered and drew his sword, running down the ledge where the tent stood. The lamia reappeared a moment later and struck him again with her tail. She had been wielding a bow, but when Kaa's sword connected with her flesh she dropped it. Kaa shouted to his companions, "She's stunned! Get her!" Sula flew to the bridge, prepared to use her magic to create a gap in the stone in the hope that the lamia would fall through it. The creature Uto had called attacked the lamia.
Igby, who had been slow in following his companions, slipped and nearly fell from he bridge, dropping his sword. He caught himself and scrambled back up while Azzaria and Kaa both attacked the lamia. Sula created a gap in the bridge beneath where the lamia stood. The serpent-woman grabbed at the ledge but fell.
As the lamia matriarch fell, the scale armor she wore transformed into a cloud of locusts, which lifted her up. She cast a spell toward Azzaria, while the otherworldly creature Uto had summoned aimed a blinding light at the lamia. Azzaria clambered down toward the canyon floor where the lamia's locust armor was carrying her. The stressed stone bridge began to crack, causing Azzaria and Kaa to fall toward the lamia. As she fell past him Igby managed to hit her with his morningstar. Kaa stabbed her, then Azzaria struck her, and she ceased moving. An instant later she burst into flames and was turned to ash within moments, leaving behind only her armor, mask, and the spear she had carried.
The Scarabs claimed as their spoils the magical cuirass, mask, and spear the lamia left behind. Then they climbed up to see if there was anything of interest within the tent. Inside they found a silver kettle, bottles of perfume, fine dishware of silver and gold, and three old chests containing numerous coins of various metals and a pair of magic boots that would have been little use to the legless lamia.
Beyond the tent they found that hole had been opened in the pyramid, surrounded by rubble and tools. Kaa checked the opening for traps but found none. Once inside the Scarabs found a doorway leading into a sloping corridor. Kaa detected a trap with a pressure plate that would cause a large rounded boulder to roll down the slope and crush anyone in the way. But when he tried to disable the pressure trigger he failed, sending the boulder rolling down the corridor to hit him and then block the doorway at the end of the passage. Uto could sense that Kaa had been injured.
Azzaria took out her adamantine flail and began bashing the wall of the corridor next to the blocked door. When she smashed her way through the wall she saw a defaced tomb lay beyond it. Uto looked into the tomb and spied a statue resembling the god Ptah. But the statue suddenly began to move, revealing that it was actually a golem of stone. The golem's eyes flashed and a wave of magic spread over the assembled Scarabs, but the spell didn't affect them.
Uto attempted to talk to the golem and persuade it not to attack the intruders, but it didn't respond. Azzaria, Kaa, and Igby all attacked the golem. When Sula flew closer the golem hit her. Azzaria's flail finally destroyed it. After Uto had healed some of his comrades' injuries, they looked around the tomb, and those members of the group who could read the ancient Osirian language recognized that the inscriptions referred to Chisisek's life but said nothing about the marvelous flying pyramid. Nor was there a mummy in the tomb. The Scarabs wondered if the cultists had already removed it.
Kaa explored the tomb chamber and found a well-concealed doorway that hadn't been opened. It led to a short hall, which opened into a room full of treasures. In the center of the room stood another statue, which came to life when the Scarabs entered. It grew and spread until it formed a wall blocking the doorway. Igby recognized that the peculiar construct was a kind of clockwork golem rather than stone like the one they had encountered a short time earlier. Uto summoned a weapon of force to attack the golem while his ancestral guardians were positioned behind it. Azzaaria hit the golem with her flail, but as Kaa moved in on it cables extended from the golem to snatch at him. Sula attempted to burn it but it seemed to be resistant to her magical flames. The cables caught hold of Azzaria and Kaa was lifted off the floor. Sula summoned an elemental of earth to fight the golem while she cast a healing spell on Azzaria. The golem's gears began to grind as Azzaria struggled free of its grasp. Azzaria then pounded it with her flail and it flew apart, showering the chamber with bits of metal.
Within the chamber the Ruby Scarabs found several flasks of a magical unguent, some quality masonry tools, an enchanted effigy of Anubis, a pair of magical goggles, a rod that could detect the presence of different metals, a scarab that provided protection against animated mummies, a spell scroll, a wand, several masks, coins, urns, ivory figurines, a model galley, and three mummified cats. They also found a library of scrolls and tablets containing non-magical texts. A review of the documents provided clues that Chisisek had indeed made a flying pyramid for the Forgotten Pharaoh, created from technology that originated in the Shory Empire. The scrolls and tablets also told of how at the end of his life Chisisek had made great earthworks to defend against the Shory. The Scarabs gathered up the the items from the tomb and returned to the temple where the sphinx was imprisoned.
Next: part 24, Search for the Sightless Sphinx
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