[Pathfinder] Mummy's Mask, part 32: The Sightless Sphinx part 5

The Sightless Sphinx


The Ruby Scarabs once again withdrew from the Sightless Sphinx to recover from their battles with the two guecubu and the zombie priestess. Once outside they examined the items they had taken from the zombie's burial chamber to determine which to keep and which to sell. Sula requested that she be allowed to take one of the fine scimitars that some of the cultists had borne, as she'd seen the need for a slashing blade against creatures like the guecubu. Most of the other items proved to be of no use to the Scarabs. Then they said a brief farewell to Tetisurah and Hutt transported them back to Sothis, where they planned both to gain magical recovery from the effect of the bodaks' gaze and to purchase some additional items that might be useful in Areshkagal's temple.

During their overnight stay in Sothis, Sula acquired several potions to allow her to see in the dark in the event they met any more babau demons, and had a spell cast on Nyema to cure her of the weakness the bodak had inflicted on her. Uto purchased a number of scrolls containing spells to combat the debilitating effects of things like the bodak's gaze. Once they had been healed and made all their purchases, Hutt took them back to the Sightless Sphinx. They found Tetisurah sitting in exactly the same position she had been in when they left.

As they returned to the structure, they discussed what direction they should go in next. They met no cultists and found none of the traps had been reset. The doors they chose to open next led into sleeping rooms that had clearly been used by the cultists. Kaa opened several simple chests and found that they contained clothes and personal items but nothing of worth. But in one room he noticed a loose brick in the floor. When he pried it up he found a bottle containing a milky white potion, which Hutt told him could make the person who drank it invisible. These rooms showed no sign of having been occupied over the past few days.

After departing the cultists' bedchambers, the Scarabs proceeded down a hallway, Kaa and Azzaria taking the lead. They came to a place where the hallway turned a corner and there were two doorways at this bend. Kaa peered around the corner and saw no one. The two doors were neither trapped nor locked. He noticed that humid air was seeping through the crevice under one of the doors. When he opened it he looked into a room that held a pool in one of the far corners, with a disturbing rock formation standing in the water. On the wall beyond the pool were carvings of clawed tentacles. There were also two male girtablilu in the chamber who had apparently been enjoying the pool.

Girtablilu warrior


Uto asked his companions to wait a moment until he could try to persuade the girtablilu not to attack. He steered the bronze sentinel through the doorway to converse with them. When they greeted him with hostility he cast a spell to calm one of them, which gave him a little time to talk to them without being attacked, but his effort to convince them that the Scarabs would leave and they should remain in the pool room and not attack was unsuccesful. One of the girtablilu charged him, while the other began to cast a summoning spell.

Two giant scorpions appeared in the pool room, summoned by the second girtablilu. The girtablilu ordered them to kill the intruders. One scorpion moved toward Kaa but missed its attack while the other attempted to attack the bronze sentinel without effect. Uto stretched his hair out through one of the sentinel's portholes, holding out the talisman that he'd taken from the dead girtablilu warrior the Scarabs had found in the desert many days earlier. When he showed it to the warrior who had charged toward him, the girtablilu sneered at it, indicating that it had belonged to someone from a different tribe and he had no regard for it.

Sula, who was still in the hallway, repositioned herself so she could see through the open door and hurled a handful of flames at one of the giant scorpions. The ball of fire overshot it and landed on the stone floor. Kaa sent a blast of lightning at one of the girtablilu. Hutt cast a spell to hasten everyone's movements. As he did this he noticed that the drops of blood that had fallen on the floor seemed to have been absorbed somehow. Then the stone in the center of the pool began to move, transforming itself into a tentacled creature that seemed to be made of water vapor. Hutt recognized it as a kind of elemental creature of air, but one that had been corrupted by evil. It would be invulnerable to lightning and resistant to the elements of fire and water. He shared this information with his allies.

Mihstu


Uto slammed the sentinel's bronze fists down on the girtablilu in front of him. Azzaria's form began to flicker as she attacked the same foe. Sula threw another handful of flames, again unsuccessfully, then stepped inside the room to get better aim. Kaa pummeled the second girtablilu, which had moved up to join the fighting. Several missiles of force shot away from Hutt to strike the scorpion nearest the doorway; it collapsed and then vanished. Hutt's homonculus, Little Anubis, rushed into the room and attacked the second girtablilu with its tiny spear. The elemental moved toward one of the girtablilu who was more injured that his comrade.

Uto eliminated the second scorpion. Hutt moved toward the girtablilu to aide Little Anubis. Sula lobbed fire at the first girtablilu. The girtablilu went down, and its comrade withdrew from the fight, retreating back toward the pool. The elemental began to follow him. Uto suggested that everyone withdraw from the room and shut the door behind them in the hope that the elemental wouldn't pursue them. The rest of the Scarabs backed out. As Kaa began to lock the door, the elemental seeped out through the gap underneath it into the hallway. Sula drew her spear as Kaa's fists battered the creature. Then Uto reached out with his hair, and using the magic of an amulet he carried he sent the elemental back to the plane from which it had come.

Kaa reopened the door to see that the girtablilu was still alive. The girtablilu mercenary responded by saying, "You said you would leave!" Uto tried to convince him that his people shouldn't be working for the cultists because they were evil and dishonorable, but the girtablilu wouldn't believe him. He did however tell Uto the name of the mercenaries' leader, and he also indicated in what part of the Sphinx the Scarabs would likely find the cultists. Uto also confirmed that the girtablilu had food and wasn't so badly wounded that he was at risk of death. After Uto left the room, Kaa locked the door again and jammed the lock. Uto sealed it with a spell that molded some of the surrounding stone over the edge of the door so the girtablilu would be imprisoned there.

Kaa then checked the next door, which like the other door was neither locked nor trapped. This door opened into a large room divided by curtains, its floor covered with green and white tiles of semiprecious stone. One wall was covered by a tile mosaic. Green flames burned atop two pillars. Beyond the curtains was a bed with a silken coverlet, and a pool of greenish water. By the pool stood a white stone statue of a faceless six-legged sphinx.

Azzaria also looked into the opulent chamber, and it was she who spotted a big creature near the pool that seemed to have the head of a crocodile on the body of a man, and fists of stone. This description confused the rest of the party. Then two cultists rushed toward Azzaria and Kaa and began to pummel them with their fists and feet. Sula and Nyema entered the room and took up position behind the cultist who was attacking Azzaria. Hutt again hastened everyone.

Rathos the broken soul


A wail of agony issued from the crocodile-man, filling the Scarabs with dismay. When his gaze fell on them all of the Scarabs quailed from it and averted their eyes. Nyema was worst affected because she didn't know better than to look at the creature. The creature's cry left her weakened, but that didn't prevent her from attacking the cultist with her fangs and claws. Sula stabbed at him with her spear. Kaa's fists flew at the second cultist. The crocodile-man bit Azzaria and punched her with his stony hands. Tetisurah then moved into the room, asking a cryptic question that Uto realized was meant to determine who was injured.  Uto warned her to avoid looking at the crocodile-man. Then he directed the gaze of the Forgotten Pharaoh's funerary mask at the strange being. The mask seemed to have no effect on the crocodile-man.

Sula and Nyema jointly attacked the cultist again and again until at last he cried, "In the name of the Forgotten Pharaoh!" and exploded in a burst of fire. Tetisurah moved up behind Azzaria, carefully shielding her eyes from the crocodile-man, and cast a healing spell on the nagaji woman. Nyema had turned on the crocodile-man after the cultist died, and Azzaria moved into a flanking position opposite the lioness. After she struck him several times he too called out and then exploded, leaving behind only a pile of ash and his half-plate armor. Kaa disposed of the second cultist at the same time.

With the three cultists gone, Kaa searched the room, finding no traps but discovering a small opening on the far wall beyond the well. Hutt realized that the well was magical. Further examination revealed to him that it was a scrying pool which would only scry on other locations that had similar statues of the demon lord Areshkagal. The Scarabs realized that this mus have been how the cultists knew what they were doing as they first entered the Sphinx, as the entry room held the same kind of statue.

The Scarabs gathered up the crocodile-man's armor and the items left behind by the two cultists, then moved out into a long hallway that had no doorways along it. At the far end was a blank stone wall, but Kaa observed that it wasn't the same type of stone as the walls and floor around it. Hutt then exclaimed that it was actually a stone wall created by a spell. He licked it, and told his companions that it wasn't a newly-cast spell and had probably been there for several years.

Masked cultist of the Forgotten Pharaoh




Next: part 33, Deeper Into the Sphinx

[Pathfinder] Mummy's Mask, part 31: The Sightless Sphinx, part 4

When the Ruby Scarabs had defeated the bodaks and the two maftets, they put the unconscious maftet pair in an empty sarcophagus, with the intention of releasing them later after the rest of the Sightless Sphinx was explored. The group members briefly considered leaving the temple to rest again and recover their health and spells, but they decided that their progress through the huge structure would be too slow if they retreated after only exploring one or two rooms.

The entrance to the next room was open. While the rest of the party waited, Kaa cautiously peered inside. The tengu monk saw that the room held eight tables arranged in a figure X, with a red stone altar at the intersection point. The tables had chains attached to them and showed signs of having been used as roosts by the maftets. Some of the tables had bloodstains on them. The altar had more blood on it, which looked more recent than what was on the tables. Kaa sensed no traps, and his first examination of the chamber found no secret doorways or compartments. Four daggers lay on shelves, along with manacles and other blades that appeared to have been undisturbed for a long time.

Suddenly a wave of energy filled the room and the floor seemed to ripple and distort. Two skeletal creatures, their bodies partly covered with earth and sand, emerged from the floor beside the altar. Around them the floor surface behaved as if affected by an earthquake. Kaa recognized that the creatures were a type of undead called guecubu. Like all undead things they would be invulnerable to lightning damage and resistant to to other types of energy, as well as resistant to damage from piercing or bludgeoning weapons. They would also be able to inflict a dangerous curse on their victims. When Kaa had warned the others of this, Hutt flew into the altar room and carried Kaa out. Thinking that perhaps the guecubu were tied somehow to the altar room, Sula suggested that perhaps the part should go on to one of the other doors they had seen rather than try to fight their way past the undead creatures. But before anyone else could respond to that suggestion, the two guecubu moved toward the entrance of the room, bringing their earthquake effect with them. Both of them made spellcasting gestures, and Kaa saw an area of the floor inside the sarcohpagus room fill with stone spikes that would make it difficult for the Scarabs to move easily in that space.

Guecubu


Azzaria surrounded herself with her images and grew blurry as she prepared to fight them. Uto suggested that the group move back, out of the spiked area. Then he brought down a column of fire on the guecubu. But because he'd been weakened by the gaze of the bodak, his magic didn't appear to have much effect on the guecubu.

Sula backed out of the spiked area and summoned fire to her hand, hurling it at one of the guecubu. Her aim went awry. The guecubu's attacks caused two of Azzaria's images to vanish, which led the two creatures to grumble to one another in the language of the Abyss, complaining that their foes had too much magic. One of them managed to touch Azzaria, but its curse was absorbed by the scarab necklace she wore and didn't affect her. Sula decided to get out of range by transforming into a falcon and flying up toward the ceiling. Hutt backed further away. Kaa darted acrobatically through the spikes and sent a line of fire at one of the guecubu, turning it into a pile of sand. The second guecubu turned on Azzaria, leaving her with only two images. She responded by destroying the creature.

The earthquake effect died along with the undead things, but the stone spikes remained and would linger for some time. Kaa marked them to help his comrades avoid them. He then entered the altar room again to examine it more thoroughly. The four daggers that had lain on the altar proved to be made of cold iron. There were also two cultist masks on one of the shelves. Then Kaa realized that there was a hidden door in the far corner of the room. When he listened at it, he thought he heard the sound of a voice casting a spell.

Once Kaa had shared this information with the rest of the party, the other Scarabs all joined him at the door. As Kaa opened it, he felt something pushing it from the other side. When it swung open he found himself facing three leathery, slimy horned creatures with bodies that appeared emaciated. Beyond them he saw what appeared to be a human woman, but it was apparent that she was no longer living. He realized she was a type of particularly powerful zombie, created from the corpse of a mage. He warned his companions of this as he sent a cone of fire at the horned creatures. His flames seemed to do them little harm. Azzaria stepped up and with heavy blows destroyed one of the creatures. It appeared to melt rather than collapse as a corpse, making everyone realize it must have been summoned. Uto called out that the creatures were demons called babau. He cast a spell on himself, Kaa, Hutt, and Hutt's homonculus to protect them from fire, but Sula didn't receive that protection because she was flying overhead.

Sula threw a talon-full of fire at the zombie woman beyond the doorway, but the awkward angle caused her to miss. One of the remaining two babau murmured something and the area was suddenly engulfed in complete darkness, which only Uto could see through. Unseen by anyone but the shaman inside the bronze sentinel, the second babau teleported to appear beside Kaa. The zombie woman also cast a spell at Kaa. Hutt backed out of the darkened area, as did Kaa. As he moved the babau he was unaware of beside him attacked him. Sula cast a spell to dispel the darkness, but the restoration of light was short-lived as the other babau immediately filled the area with darkness again. Then the zombie woman sent a wave of sound mingled with evil energies from the other chamber, and a dazed Sula plummeted to the ground at the feet of the bronze sentinel.

The same energy that had brought Sula down left Uto immobilized inside the metal guardian. Hutt blasted the babau with fire. Tetisurah charged at one of the babau and those who couldn't see through the darkness heard her cry out in pain as the demon's acid ichor splashed on the sphinx's hide. Azzaria targeted the second babau, and despite being unable to see it she was able to destroy it.

Babau demon


A burst of lightning flew out of the doorway, leaving the still stunned Sula in pain. Tetisurah continued to attack the last babau. Kaa pummeled it with his fists, but its slimy hide resisted his efforts to harm it. Azzaria moved into the other room where the zombie waited. Though that room was not within the babau's area of unnatural darkness, it was still dark. Azzaria heard a throaty chuckle, followed by the sound of a heavy door closing. The sounds from the altar room were cut off, and she realized that the zombie had trapped her inside the smaller room.

Uto found he was able to move again. He slammed the sentinel's arms down on the remaining demon, then summoned a wave of positive energy to heal his companions. Hutt used a wand to provide more healing. Tetisurah jumped up on one of the tables and continued to attack the babau. Kaa and Uto moved out of the dark area so Uto could heal some of the numerous wounds the babau had inflicted on the tengu. Sula had also recovered and flew out of the darkness, retreating to alight on Nyema.

Inside the other room, Azzaria ignited a sunrod and examined her surroundings. The room held a sarcophagus and appeared to be a burial chamber. The inside of the door had no knob or mechanism to open it from the burial chamber. Azzaria drew her adamantine flail and began to pound it against the door.

Heqet the zombie lord



The zombie woman was now in the altar room with the rest of the Scarabs. She moved out of he darkness to reach through one of the sentinel's portholes and touch Uto. Fortunately for him the magic of the Forgotten Pharaoh's funerary mask held off the full effect of her spell, but Uto was still wounded. He had been absorbing damage from some of his companions, but due to the effect of the bodak's gaze he wasn't able to withstand as much as he normally could and was now badly wounded. Hutt attacked the zombie with a lightning bolt, which had no effect, leading the rougarou mage to realize that she must have some type of magical defenses. Kaa also tried to harm her with lightning and Hutt determined that she had specifically protected herself against Kaa's ability. She must somehow have been observing what spells the Scarabs cast.

Sula cast a spell of her own, this time one to protect her comrades, granting them all greater vitality. The zombie woman channeled negative energy to harm her enemies and stepped back into the darkness. Uto cast a spell at the babau, and it vanished, though no one but he could see this. Sula flew through one of the sentinel's portholes to cast a spell on Uto and grant him healing and protection from fire. She had been left weak by the spell that stunned her earlier, but she felt her strength return now. Her elation was brief, as a moment later the zombie's magic left her wounded. The same magic left Uto unconscious inside the sentinel. Hutt again tried to affect the zombie with lightning. Sula began to summon a beast to join the fight.

Unseen, the zombie touched Tetisurah with dark energies and the sphinx wailed. Hutt had called a storm of ice and hail in the dark area, and he now moved into the icy space to try unsuccessfully to bite the zombie. Suddenly the door to the hidden burial chamber burst open in a spray of splinters as Azzaria smashed her way out. At the same time Uto revived and attempted to grab the zombie woman. Sula's summoned ankylosaurus appeared behind the zombie and swung its tail at her, but she avoided Uto's grab and ducked under the mace-like tail. Sula abandoned her falcon form and drew her spear.

Then Hutt stepped closer to the zombie and cast a spell. All magic close to him was suppressed. The zombie lost all of her magical defenses as well as her ability to cast spells. The bronze sentinel became a statue, trapping Uto inside. Sula's summoned beast vanished. Kaa moved to Hutt's side and hit the zombie with his fist, which affected her but only slightly. Sula stepped in with her spear but it failed to connect. The zombie attacked Kaa and then moved toward the immobilized sentinel, reaching for Uto. Azzaria followed her. Tetisurah flew behind the sentinel and pulled the unresisting Uto out. Kaa slashed the zombie with his sword, and Azzaria hit her with her flail. Sula joined them in attacking the zombie with her spear. The zombie focused on Kaa again, realizing that he already had numerous injuries. She kept moving, trying to continually attack Kaa while evading everyone else.

Uto was now outside the range of Hutt's spell, which brought him back to consciousness. He used this opportunity to heal himself. Kaa and Azzaria took up positions flanking the zombie and Sula stabbed her twice, both times fiercely. Hutt kept having to follow the zombie as she moved so she couldn't escape the area affected by his spell. Tetisurah moved in to block the zombie's escape. But her repeated attacks on Kaa left him endangered and he had to retreat outside the magical effect to seek healing from Uto. Before the zombie could take advantage of the opening to get away from Hutt, Azzaria rained a series of punishing blows on her and she collapsed.

The zombie's corpse proved to carry a spell scroll, a fine quality breastplate, a heavy steel shield, a magical rod in the form of a serpent, and a holy symbol of the demon lord Areshkagal made of very precious metals. In her burial chamber they found two chests containing 500 gold pieces, a necklace of gold and turquoise that was clearly very valuable, and a pair of slippers with gold chains that were also of considerable worth.

After they claimed these items, the Scarabs realized that they were too depleted to go on, though it wasn't yet midday. The harm the bodaks had done to Uto and Nyema had seriously weakened the party's strength and capability. Uto healed everyone as much as he could, with some assistance from Hutt. They discussed whether they could risk resting inside the zombie priestess's burial chamber. While Uto could close the doorway with stone to keep out intruders, the thought of spending a rest period inside the demon lord's temple was not appealing to most of the group and they decided to withdraw from the Sightless Sphinx again, returning once Uto had recovered.

Next: part 32. The Sightless Sphinx part 5