Stay the Path

In this session of my Swords & Wizardry campaign, the players actually continued hunting for the two groups of missing explorers in a strange desolate world with a red sun. It was a near thing. The leader of the group was all for returning to their own dimension and leaving the explorers. He reasoned that they had done enough. Other players stepped in and argued to continue.

This is an ongoing issue in a long campaign like this. The players make almost no suggestions on where they would like to go next or things they would like to do next. They expect me to present them with multiple options. Which I would do if I had the time to write a dozen extra adventures. It makes a hexcrawl campaign seem ideal. But I wonder if the players would not take any action - instead waiting for something to come to them.

Session 130: King Zoser

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Aldus (human cavalier), Domago (human cleric NPC), Ian of Darkhollow (human cavalier NPC), Apprentice August (human magic-user NPC)

The adventurers have traveled by the bridgeway to a strange world in another dimension where a red sun beams down about desolate wastelands. They are searching for the two previous groups of explorers sent here who have not returned. They are raiding the tomb of King Zoser looking for any trace of the missing explorers.

Having gained a key shaped something like a sprocket after defeating the Magma elemental the adventurers traverse the hallway to the door to the chamber full of sand. Entering their light illuminates a stone throne against the far wall. A dust devil of sand sprays up onto the throne.

“Looks like a sand elemental,” Alrix says.

Eathwund and Aldus take the lead walking cautiously into the chamber. They find that the sand covering the floor is deep and difficult to walk through. Soon, the rest of the company follows. Domago tries using the Helm of Comprehend languages to address the creature in the language of air elementals. It does not respond and takes no aggressive action.

“Do we attack it?” Aldus asks, puzzled.

“I hate when creatures do not respond,” says Lakima.

Then Lakima unleashes a volley of magic missiles into the vortex of sand. The missiles strike something, and the sand elemental immediately moves forward over the sandy floor. They see sand from the floor flying up into the elemental renewing its form. Aldus and Eathwund attack with swords and see sprays of sand fly from the shape where their swords hit. Alrix fires several arrows at it and Domago strikes with his mace. A blast of sand sprays out from the elemental striking Lakima hard in the chest and pushing him back. The battle continues with several exchanges as the elemental renews itself from the sandy floor. Eathwund is stuck by a blast of sand. The sand elemental starts to get smaller and smaller until it finally peters out and dies. A metal disc falls to the sandy floor.

Eathwund grabs it up and hands it to Lakima. It is another metal disc but this one has three teeth on its outer edge.

“Three teeth, this is the one!” Lakima says.

The group heads back to the chamber with the two statues holding spheres of stone over their heads. Lakima inserts the metal disc into the back of one statue and it fits perfectly. After a few tries he finds he can turn the disc to the right. As he does the arms of the statue descend holding the sphere until the stone ball rolls out of the statue’s hands and across the floor. Everyone waits expectantly but nothing happens. Lakima then removes the key and tries it with the same results in the back of the second statue.

Eathwund finds he can move the stone balls despite their enormous mass. He carefully rolls them near the round door.

“The stones block the hole, maybe?” Eathwund says.

“I think there is another room, behind the door mimic,” Alrix says.

The group decide to go back and question the mimic again. Eathwund dutifully drags another troll corpse over as another offering. The mimic asks for the corpse but they withhold it asking the mimic to reveal what is on the wall behind it. The creature claims that it is a blank wall and that it cannot move. The builders placed an enchantment on it preventing it from moving. The adventurers debate killing the mimic while the creature begs for its life claiming it is not hiding anything.

“I have an idea,” Lakima says.

He casts passwall behind the mimic revealing that nothing is behind it but solid stone.

“There might still be writing behind it or a portal,” Domago says. But the group decides to leave the mimic in peace. Eathwund pushes the troll corpse closer to the mimic and it eagerly eats the offering.

Returning to the chamber of the stone balls, everyone takes positions while Eathwund grabs the lever controlling the door. The lever is triggered and the door rolls open. A huge blast of wind roars through the chamber and the two stones roll through the doorway dragged into the hole in the center of the chamber beyond. As soon as they fall into the hole the wind drops to nothing. All is quiet and peaceful again.

“That’s it?” Lakima asks.

The adventurers walk into the wind-scoured chamber beyond. There is not much in the room only a metal door in the far wall with no hinges or handle. In the center of the door is a circular depression. Lakima tries fitting the sprocket key that has four teeth and finds it fits perfectly. Turning it to the left slowly slides open the metal door. Beyond is a dark chamber lit only by the light from Ian’s lantern. They see two, tall, red-clay statues standing to either side of a gold door. To their right and left are two similar gold doors etched with the images of a woman with bird wings.

“I think those are clay golems,” Lakima says uneasily pointing at the two enormous statues, “Let’s be careful – head for the door on the right.”

The group quietly and slowly walks over to the door on the right. It looks like it is covered in solid gold plates. Eathwund reaches out to open the door, and both Clay golems step down from their platforms and move slowly toward them. They shout out a challenge in an unrecognizable language.

“They said No!” Domago yells.

"I figured that!" Lakima shouts, “Quick, everyone to me!” 

Lakima then casts Protection from Evil. The golems continue to advance but then stop, unable to get through the magical barrier Lakima has created. Eathwund opens the door and looks into a small chamber with an enormous stone coffin resting in it. The coffin is decorated with engraved images of a mighty warhorse. Aldus enters the chamber and moves to the stone coffin. Eathwund spots an ancient leather saddle encrusted with jewels. He directs Ian to pick it up and carry it.

“Should I open it?” Aldus asks. Lakima nods and Aldus shoves open the stone lid. He feels an uncomfortable feeling deep in his chest but it quickly passes (he has in fact been cursed). Inside is the corpse of a mummified horse. Aldus does not spot any treasure so he slides the lid closed again.

Struggling with the large saddle, Ian follows Eathwund and Aldus out of the tomb. Aldus advises his squire to toss the saddle aside should they get in a fight or have to run.

Lakima continues to keep the clay golems at bay as they cross the chamber to the main door. Approaching it they see it is inscribed with the image of a king holding a staff in one hand and a sword in the other. Aldus opens the door and they see a small chamber before them, the floor is covered in a pile of gold coins and small gold statues. A single stone coffin rests in the center of the room covered in carved symbols. The stone coffin is open and a mummy holding a sword waits for them patiently.

The creature says something in a dry voice. Seeing their confusion it speaks again, this time in halting common.

“Begone from my tomb, foolish mortals!”

Lakima speaks to the mummy and learns that it is the undying King Zoser, the first king of the Muhati tribe. He threatens them with death or curses and claims to be constantly renewed by the magic of the pyramid. Lakima asks about the explorers from his home world and Zoser claims he has lain undisturbed for centuries. Lakima tells Zoser that his kingdom is gone and is now a desolate wasteland. This greatly angers Zoser.

“Lies lies!” Zoser shouts and moves forward striking Eathwund with his sword. Blood splatters from the wound he opens. The fight does not take very long before Zoser is brought down. As he is falling, he laughs at them calling them fools and primitives, and promises to rise again.

Domago uses his staff of healing on Eathwund again. Eathwund searches the chamber. The stone coffin appears to be empty. He does find a locked chest he cannot open. Lakima checks it and finds it is not trapped with magic. August opens the chest using the knock spell from his cursed helm. Inside they find several magical weapons and a mysterious metal flask that appears to be empty. Eathwund picks up the sword the mummy was wielding. They have to remove some gold from the bag of holding to get the weapons into the bag. Lakima checks the ceiling above and sees a pattern with a blue gem at the center. The gem glows with weak magic. Using his staff, he casts telekinesis and pulls the gem toward his hand. Lakima examines the gem and he uses the last charge of the arrow of direction asking for the source of the life force sustaining Zoser. The arrow points at the gem. Lakima then asks Domago to smash it. Domago does so with his mace. There is a burst of blue light as he breaks the gem. A disembodied spirit howls in anguish screaming, “No!”

They look and see Zoser’s mummified corpse turn to powder. Outside the range of the protection spell the two clay golems cease their movements. The adventurers congratulate each other. Lakima checks the chamber carefully with his wand of secret door detection but he finds nothing. 

“Well- I guess we leave, the explorers we are looking for are not here.”

Before leaving the group moves across the chamber to the second gold door. Aldus opens the door and inside they see a small chamber with two normal-sized stone coffins. Each coffin lid is carved with a relief of a different woman. Lakima checks for magic and he sees that each stone lid is enchanted to discharge a lightning trap should they be disturbed. He checks with Domago and then working together they dispel the magic on both coffins. Eathwund moves to one coffin and Aldus to another. Aldus pushes the lid aside first and a mummy rises out of the coffin to attack. In front of Eathwund the stone lid on the other coffin slides to one side and another mummy attacks. Domago presents his holy symbol and forces both mummies back into their stone tombs. The adventurers quickly leave the chamber and close the door again.

The group decides to leave the tomb. They have no encounters as they are leaving and they are soon outside again. Lakima suggests returning home via Zentrium but Eathwund suggests that the arrow pointed north to find the explorers so they should continue following the road. The road heads northwest toward the mountains but at least it is heading somewhat in the right direction.

The group decides to continue following the road setting out again with the sun high overhead. They walk through the wasteland for a few hours before spotting the ruins of a city on the horizon. Still uncovered by the sand are the remains of a palace. A stone staircase leads up to a pair of wooden double doors. A pair of camel-headed human statues stand at the base of the steps.

“Let’s get inside before the sun sets,” Lakima says.

Aldus and Eathwund lead the way up the steps and come under fire from arrows coming from arrow slits in the wall facing them. Eathwund continues running up the steps and he smashes the wood doors open with his shield. Inside he finds a large number of animated skeletons armed with bows and swords. Eathwund smashes two apart before matching blades with the leader of the skeletons who is wearing rusted armor. Aldus soon joins Eathwund and smashes several more skeletons. Domago tosses his shield down on the steps, says a command word, and it transforms into a large lion. He points at the skeletons and the lion roars and leaps on the skeletons. Domago then lifts his holy symbol presenting it to the skeletons and several of them are blasted to pieces. Aldus and Eathwund dispatch all of the skeletons with the exception of the skeleton general who keeps fighting. It takes a number of blows to destroy it.

The group searches through a few empty chambers including a throne room finding nothing of interest. They decide to set up camp in what was once a barracks. Watches are set and the summoned lion is left pacing the hall outside the door to their room. As soon as the sun sets the lion increases its pacing and lets out the occasional roar. Eventually, since no one can get to sleep they open the door and find several wights and wraiths surrounding the lion. Several wights fall quickly as Domago uses his holy symbol to destroy them. Two remain and Lakima drinks a potion of wight control to take over their actions. Domago yells a warning that he can see several wraiths and a spectre moving toward them from the throne chamber. Alrix casts a fireball destroying some of the wraiths and the controlled wights. Lakima then uses the Staff of Power to cast another fireball and the remaining wraiths are destroyed. Domago enters the throne room and uses his faith to banish the spectre that was waiting there on the throne.

The group returns to the room and sleeps the rest of the night with two of their number on watch at all times. In the morning they pack up and leave. As they head out on the road Eathwund asks if they should not search the ruins but Lakima reminds him that their packs are already full of treasure.

The group sets out following the road through the desert until they see a black obelisk rising out of the desert. As they get closer it continues to get bigger and bigger. The ruined obelisk is fully one hundred feet square. In the lee of the obelisk, they see tattered tents and supplies, their first possible evidence of the explorers they seek.