Chapter 15 – The Return of the Pharaohs

Return of the Pharaohs

Chapter 15 – The Return of the Pharaohs

Details

Horned Devil Battle

Tactics: The Horned Devils will be conferring with one of the slave drivers and encouraging them to move some raw materials toward the center of the area. So at any time, there may be several slaves as well as three Devils who are even helping carry some of the larger building supplies. When the party has made themselves known, the Horned Devils will engage.

Round	D1	D2	D3
1	~~Casts Dispel Chaos, moves to stairs~~	~~Moves and attacks, uses fear aura~~	~~Casts Dispel Good, closes~~
2	~~Ascends stairs and closes with closest person (Tark?) and touch attacks~~	~~Casts Dispel Good defensively, attempts to touch~~	~~Attempts to touch Meridian~~
3	~~Full attack on closest~~	Casts PvG 10’ defensively	Teleports (defensively) behind party

They will cast Dispel Good or Dispel Chaos early and try a touch attack at someone who closes into range.
They will also cast Magic Circle against Good early
The will enable their frightful presence when in melee
They will either fly or t-port out of melee range and cast fireball on clusters, ignoring slaves (except slave drivers).
Once they are spelled out or heavily engaged in combat, or are hard pressed, they will concentrate on 1 or 2 party members and try to stun them with their Spiked Chains.

If they are able to connect with a Dispel Good, Hutijin’s dimensional locks will prevent the target from being sent back to the material plane, but instead will be sent to a special prison located beneath the pedestal of Orphamiel.

Prison Time-out

Anyone who is successfully targeted by a Dispel Good will be transported to a cell in this prison. All the walls are made a white stone with red veins running throughout (same material as pedestal above) but only the exterior walls are protected by Dimensional Lock. The prison is actually upside down relative to the real world outside. Anyone examining the floor may detect the rumble of the imprisoned angel. Anyone detecting magic will sense a strong aura of magic from the veins in the floor as well. The only way out of the prison is by either physically breaking through the stone or using passwall of similar. The floor is 1’ thick (Hardness 8, 180 HP). If someone breaches the ‘floor’ they will find themselves underneath the bound Angel and anything breaking the plane of the pedestal will be subject to normal gravity.

Third Island – on the third island that the group sets foot upon, the Pit Fiend Vogath is personally overseeing the construction under way. This will be the location of one of the most difficult battles they will ever have. If the party is able to defeat Vogath, his companion Gozath will know immediately via Vogath’s telepathic death throes and will teleport to the party’s location within 3 rounds. If the party takes Orphamiel’s advice and immediately returns to the Palace, they will have a total of 2 minutes while Gozath searches the other islands, then finally returns to the only remaining place they could be.

The Orrery of Failed Treaties

The most recent addition to this horrific area is a hellish version Menetnashte’s Orrery. Where normally the planets in the Golarion solar system could be manipulated to display the constellations on the inner surface of the great black shell above, these spheres have been replaced by various decapitated heads, each one resembling a famous world leader, many of which the party will recognize, including Princess Eutropia of Taldor, White Estrid of the Linnorm Kings, Governor Markwin of Molthune, Codwin I of Andoran, Lord Gyr of Absalom, Thakur Kharswan of Jalmeray and Satrap Xerbystes II of Qadira. Where the planet Golarion should be in the model, a pain-expressioned head of the Ruby Prince drips fresh blood onto the stone floor below. The Orrery rests inside of a crater with a berm that borders the blood sea outside. A spiraling road leads down to the floor of the crater where a stone dome covers the Orrery.

When you get about 100’ from the dome, you can hear the sounds of grinding coming from the stone hemisphere ahead and you can make out a 10’ wide pair of doors which lead inside.

Through the doors reveals an elaborate orrery that looks vaguely similar to the one you remember in Sothis. A large square room in the center has a series of gears and cogs on its roof with brass arms stretching out to spherical objects of various sizes that are beginning to slowly rotate and orbit the area. Smaller orbs appear to move more quickly, some even orbiting the larger spheres.

But when you get a closer look at the orbiting spheres, wonder turns to horror as you realize that these do not appear as planets, but rather decapitated human heads. One of the closest passing near your side looks remarkably like White Estrid of the Linnorm Kings – her white hair hangs limply in the air below her chin.

Orrery entrance – when the party gets to this point, the orrery is moving slowly and all of the ‘spheres’ are at least 15’ from the ground. A large stone building 40’ wide on side and 40’ tall has a single unlocked stone door for the workers to enter and exit. The sounds of gearworks is louder from this area. On the ground is the dried blood of the ‘freshly removed’ head of Khemet that is making its way around the orrery.

Gear room (lower level) – when the door is opened, a loud cacophony of grinding metal and mechanisms greets the visitors. Two massive brass gears are secured to the floor with the largest about 2 feet from the ground and another 4 feet up from that. There are no obvious controls in here. It is not impossible, but very difficult to harm this mechanism (Hardness 10, 200 HP, Break DC 40). The south west corner has stacks of extra parts and a few tools that could be used to repair teeth. On the west wall is a small forge and anvil for repairing. There is nothing large enough in here to jam the gears however.

Gear room (middle level) – smaller gears in here vary in height and rotation speeds. Anyone who tries to damage the gearworks will find it slightly easier than the ground floor gears. (Hardness 10, 120HP, Break DC 40)

Gear room (top level) – this room is very loud since it is closest to the roof. If the party comes to this island, the workers will retreat to this room first. There is a chain hanging down in the northwest corner that opens a hatch and deploys a 15’ segmented wooden ladder to gain access to the roof.

Optional Enemy: Coiled atop the building is a guardian who has helped in the creation and calibration of the Orrery. It may attack as the party gets closer, or it will do so on the way out of they do not discover it from the roof access hatch.

Yarmezgin the Clockwork Black Dragon CR 16

XP 76,800

Male clockwork ancient black dragon N Huge dragon (water)

Init +7; Senses dragon senses; Perception +34

Aura frightful presence (300 ft., DC 25)

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Defense

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AC 43, touch 13, flat-footed 38 (+3 Dex, +2 dodge, +30 natural, -2 size)

hp 297 (22d12+154)

Fort +20, Ref +18, Will +18

DR 15/magic; Immune acid, paralysis, sleep; SR 27

Weaknesses vulnerability to electricity

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Offense

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Speed 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (poor), swim 60 ft.

Melee bite +32 (2d8+16 plus 4d6 acid), 2 claws +31 (2d6+11), tail slap +29 (2d6+16), 2 wings +29 (1d8+5)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite)

Special Attacks acid pool (50 ft radius, 20d6 acid), acidic bite, breath weapon (100-ft line, 20d6 acid, Reflex DC 28 half), crush (Small creatures, DC 28, 2d8+16)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 22nd; concentration +26)

Constant—speak with animals (reptiles only)

At will—darkness (100 ft. radius), insect plague, plant growth

1/day—corrupt water

Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 11th; concentration +15)

5th (4/day)—cone of cold (DC 19), wall of force

4th (7/day)—arcane eye, black tentacles, dimension door

3rd (7/day)—dispel magic, heroism, hold person (DC 17), slow (DC 17)

2nd (7/day)—blur, glitterdust (DC 16), invisibility, summon swarm, whispering wind

1st (7/day)—alarm, mage armor, magic missile, obscuring mist, true strike

0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, light, mage hand, mending, message, prestidigitation, read magic, resistance

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Statistics

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Str 33, Dex 16, Con 25, Int 18, Wis 21, Cha 18

Base Atk +22; CMB +35; CMD 50 (54 vs. trip)

Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Flyby Attack, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes[B], Multiattack, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite)

Skills Acrobatics +3 (+15 to jump), Fly +20, Handle Animal +26, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Knowledge (geography) +29, Knowledge (history) +29, Perception +34, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +26, Swim +44

Languages Common, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Orc

SQ difficult to create, speak with reptiles, swamp stride, swift reactions, water breathing, winding

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Special Abilities

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Acid Pool (50 ft radius, 20d6 acid, DC 28) (Su) As a standard action, cover area in acid dealing dam, then again at start of foe’s turn (Ref half). Dam halves each rd.

Acidic Bite (Su) At old age, a black dragon’s bite deals an additional 2d6 points of acid damage. An ancient dragon’s damage increases to 4d6, and a great wrym’s to 6d6.

Blindsense (60 feet) (Ex) Sense things and creatures without seeing them.

Breath Weapon (100-ft line, 20d6 acid, Reflex DC 28 half, usable every 1d4 rounds) As a standard action, affect an area with elemental damage (Ref half).

Corrupt Water (300 feet, 1/day, DC 25) (Sp) Destroy liquid based magic items (like potions) in a 10 ft cube (Will neg).

Crush (Small creatures, 2d8+16, DC 28) A flying or jumping Huge or larger dragon can land on foes as a standard action, using its whole body to crush them. Crush attacks are effective only against opponents three or more size categories smaller than the dragon. A crush attack affects as m

Damage Reduction (15/magic) You have Damage Reduction against all except Magic attacks.

Darkvision (120 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).

Dragon Senses (Ex) See four times as well as a human in dim light and twice as well in normal light.

Fly (200 feet, Poor) You can fly!

Flyby Attack You can take a standard action during your move action while flying.

Frightful Presence (300 ft., 5d6 rounds, DC 25) Those in area of effect become frightened or shaken (Will neg.)

Swim (60 feet) You have a Swim speed.

Vital Strike Standard action: x2 weapon damage dice.

Vulnerability to Electricity You are vulnerable (+50% damage) to Electricity damage.

Water Breathing (Ex) Can breath and can freely use any abilities underwater.

Winding Active for 1 day/HD, can be recharged with a special key.

The Twisted Garden

A palisade of 40’ tall pikes surrounds a swampy island enshrouded in fetid mist. When someone gets within 30’ of the palisade, they can make a DC30 Per check to see the outlines of rotting bodies impaled upon the sharp tops of the wall. If they are examined closely, the telltale signs of druidic orders can be seen in the tattoos, adornment and belongings of the unfortunate souls.

As you near this island, you can see the canopy of two great trees that cover more than 2/3 of the island. A set of high wooden doors can also be spotted on the north west side of the island. A narrow strip of land surrounds the island between the palisade and the blood sea. It looks very marshy and wet.

When someone comes within 30’ of the doors, they will open on their own, revealing a dark tunnel beneath the canopy leading deeper into the island. In the center of the island is a raised stone platform with an empty sacrificial altar atop it.

The first person who touches the island will activate a complex magical effect. The person will trigger the completion of a Simulacrum that will resemble that person (although the sim is made of fungus, moss and sludge) and will appear to be bound atop the altar (DC 46 Disguise, DC 49 Bluff). He will try to convince the party that their companion is an imposter giving him the opportunity to cast an attack spell or making a single attack. The plan is that when Khemet is first brought here, he will see himself on the altar. Four 10’ tall columns have burning braziers and there are also braziers at the four corners of the platform. Steep steps rise from the east and west sides.

The First Big Battle

The group will find the first Pit Fiend, Vogath on this island overseeing several groups of workers who are hanging dying druid bodies onto fresh pikes. One worker from each group has a sputtering torch that only reveals 15’ of light.

When group first arrives, they can roll a DC24 Per to hear sounds of pounding coming from ahead of them.
Once they approach the wall/gate, they will see the dead druids hanging from the pikes.
If the party is noisy, Vogath will turn invisible, cast Magic Circle vs. Good and fly 10’ up and approach the entrance to investigate.
If the group stays quiet (the murky fog dampens a lot of the sounds), the party can get a Per roll as well as Vogath (+41) and the better roll is who sees whom first.
Vogath is arrogant but not stupid. He will attempt to subdue the group first, but if he feels like they truly threaten him, he will engage fully.

Casts Mass Hold Monster on as many as possible
Casts a Quickened Fireball at group, then either Greater Dispel Magic or Wall (Circle) of Fire to separate group (up to 65’ rad)
Wades into battle with sword, power attacking

If he gets a lot of damage at once, he may t-port out of range to allow a round of Fast Healing 100 to close his wounds.

Other tactics:

Casts Greater Dispel Magic on group or tries Mass Hold Monster again

Optional Enemies:

Several gnarled and twisted trees with exposed rope-like roots are scattered throughout the area. These trees are not as benign as they first appear. When someone gets within 20’ of them, they will move in to attack:

Large tendrils ending in tiny claws unfurl from the central stalk of this plant, which rises like a serpent ready to strike.

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Fiendish Viper Vine CR 16

XP 76,800

N Large plant

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +13

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Defense

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AC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +13 natural, -1 size)

hp 209 (22d8+110)

Fort +17, Ref +13, Will +7

DR 10/good; Immune acid, plant traits; Resist cold 15, fire 15; SR 21

Weaknesses cold lethargy

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Offense

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Speed 10 ft.

Melee bite +24 (2d6+8/19-20 plus 3d6 acid), 4 tentacles +24 (1d6+8 plus grab)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks captivating cloud, constrict (1d6+8), smite good

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Statistics

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Str 26, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 6

Base Atk +16; CMB +25 (+29 grapple); CMD 40 (can’t be tripped)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (tentacle)

Skills Acrobatics +4 (-4 to jump), Perception +13, Stealth +13

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Special Abilities

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Captivating Cloud (DC 25) (Su) Once per day as a swift action, a viper vine can emit a transparent cloud of pollen in a 60-foot spread that has the power to lull the minds of those that smell it. Once activated, the cloud persists for 5 rounds unless dispersed by moderate or stron

Cold Lethargy (Ex) Exposure to any cold effect slows a viper vine (as a slow spell) for 1d4 rounds.

Grab: Tentacle (Large) (Ex) You can start a grapple as a free action if you hit with the designated weapon.

Immunity to Mind-Affecting effects

Immunity to Paralysis

Immunity to Poison

Immunity to Polymorph

Immunity to Sleep

Immunity to Stunning

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.

Plant Traits Plants have many immunities.

Power Attack -5/+10 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

Smite Good (1/day) (Su) +0 to hit, +22 to damage when used.

If the party visits this island, there will be no workers here at the time. The devil will be positioned near the altar.

The Council of Conspirators

Deep below the Exhibitory’s building complex is a secretive area where the Council of the Sun and Sky meets. A rectangular island is nearly consumed by the high walls of the Exhibitory. Looking more like a forbidding prison, than a museum, there appears to be no way to get inside and there are no windows or other doors. The gray building is about 100’ on a side with a solid flat roof.

The main building is virtually impenetrable and as a matter of fact is solid stone. The real complex is below the surface and is accessed from a hidden ramp just offshore from the building. When someone gets within 50’ of the ramp, a tunnel will appear, parting the blood sea, with a descending ramp (made for the chariot) that goes under the massive structure and ends in a room large enough for the vehicle. Once in the room, the wall behind them will rise and the tunnel will fill again with the blood sea.

** Last chance info gathering ** (inserted prior to exploration due to party skipping important info from main complex :/ )

A crew of workers has been assigned to this area to install torch sconces and is currently working in one of the hallways. When the party arrives, they will at first stare at the ground as they are conditioned to do, but once they discover the group is not one of the ‘Masters’ they will look on in curiosity, one brave working asking “Who are you?” One of the others will admonish this new slave with a stern “It’s none of our business, just stay out of their way.”

At this point, if the party does ignore them then they will complete this part of the campaign arc in their own sequence. However, if they do stop to talk, one of the slaves (a muscular young human named Nedo, former acolyte of Asmodeus from Westpool who questioned Asmo’s dogma and was assigned to this prison layer of Hell, who is carrying much of the equipment) who has only been here for a week will be more forthcoming with information. Topics he will impart:

These islands are under construction still
The ‘Masters’ are powerful devils, not sure of type, three of one type are the regular masters and two more are their bosses.
They have worked in all the areas and can generally describe them, but mainly in the big chamber with the black thing.
The two bosses refer to it as their ‘pet’ or their ‘guest’ with a laugh afterward
The two bosses sometimes torment the black thing by cutting it or poking it
The one slave has more insight than the rest and thinks the creature is from an upper plane of celestial origin (when he says this the others physically restrain him and threaten to kill him if he speaks again)

Entrance to the Council Chambers – although the council chambers here are similar to the ones in Sothis, there is no Exhibitory gallery anywhere to be found. This room is for the chariot to offload its riders and elaborately carved doors depicting two separate scenes lead farther into the complex. The north doors depict the informal meeting and strategy rooms that lie beyond, but with more military overtones – a large map of Inner Sea region with Osirion scarab superimposed over a majority of the countries, armies of religious zealots, armies of undead marauders all being led by an aged, victorious, obvious version of the Ruby Prince. The south doors depict the formal council chamber with a smaller version of Khemet sitting in a corner while larger-than-life advisors are engaged in mortal combat on and around the meeting table.

Map room – a huge table displays a very accurate relief map of the inner sea region of Golarion. Country names are displayed as well as many major cities. Large scarab markers cover the capitals of Linnorm, Andoran, Taldor, Molthune, Varisia, Jalmeray and Numeria. Scimitar markers display war fronts in Lastwall, the River Kingdoms and Qadira. Upon closer inspection, the ‘sea’ portion of the map appears to be real blood which is flowing from the rivers of the conquered and besieged lands. With a DC20 Per check, the distant sounds of violent combat can also be heard coming from the table. If touched, the blood is real and if detect magic is used, conjuration magic is involved. Two side tables hold extra markers (scarab and scimitar).

Briefing room – there are a number of chairs in a semi-circle facing a large map on the wall, which appears to be blank. The map will be completed at the time of Khemet’s death to display his most recent ‘diplomatic failure’. If studied closely, a grey morphing mass can be seen moving across the wall. This is an effect of monitoring Khemet’s diplomatic progress on the Material Plane. With a DC40 Geography or History they can decipher that the mass is moving around the borders of Osirion.

Cloak room – there is a single coat rack on each of the walls here as the party enters. One holds a cloak that is drenched in fresh blood and the other appears to be of regal quality, fashioned from fine embroidered deep blue silk, inlaid with black pearls and trimmed in gold threads. Both cloaks radiate faint conjuration magic. If someone wears these cloaks, the bloody one will allow the wearer to enter the council chambers unharmed and be recognized as belonging there. If the opulent cloak is worn, the wearer will be recognized as a foreign enemy or spy and attacked in the council chambers.

The Council Chambers contents depend upon which island the party is visiting. If the first island, they will hear the sounds of a pitched battle beyond the double doors. If this is the second or third island encounter, there will be eerie silence and the room is strewn with freshly murdered bodies. Either the Horned Devils or one of the Pit Fiends will be here waiting for the group.

Three pockets of combating men dressed in robes of Osirion as well as other nations are fighting with fist and weapons. Some of them lay dead of dying on the ground. None will seem to notice the party unless one is wearing the fancy cloak. Once the party gets about 10’ into the room all look toward them. “How could you let this happen?” one of the bloody Osiriani yells. As a group, the entire room transforms into strange ugly humanoid half-devils and attack.

Tactics:

4 of the fiends will cast Darkness to hinder the non-darkvision characters
The others will either attack with their Smite Good
Or they will try to touch with Poison spell
They try to flank and group up on powerful adversaries

Its body twisted and deformed, this lumbering giant has tiny eyes and a mouth full of jagged teeth presented in a furious roar.

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16 Male half-fiend half-orc ogrekin fighter 10 CR 12 XP 19,200

LE Medium outsider (humanoid, giant, human, native, orc)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15

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Defense

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AC 36, touch 22, flat-footed 32 (+6 armor, +4 Dex, +8 natural, +8 untyped bonus)

hp 135 (10d10+80)

Fort +13, Ref +7, Will +5 (+3 vs. fear)

Defensive Abilities orc ferocity; DR 5/magic; Immune poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10; SR 23

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Offense

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Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)

Melee mwk falchion +22/+17 (2d4+16/18-20) or

bite +13 (1d6+4), bite +13 (1d4+4), 2 claws +13 (1d4+4)

Special Attacks smite good, weapon trainings (heavy blades +2, light blades +1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +9)

3/day—darkness, poison

1/day—contagion, desecrate, unholy blight (5d8 vs good, sickened 1d4 rds, Will ½ and no sick)

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Statistics

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Str 26, Dex 18, Con 22, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8

Base Atk +10; CMB +18; CMD 40

Feats Believer’s Boon[ACG], Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Disruptive (+4 DC to combat cast near), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lunge, Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (falchion), Weapon Specialization (falchion)

Skills Climb +13, Fly +8, Intimidate +10, Perception +15, Swim +13; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate

Languages Common, Orc

SQ armor training 2, orc blood, oversized maw, weak mind

Other Gear +3 hide shirt, mwk falchion

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Special Abilities

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Combat Reflexes (5 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.

Contagion (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage.

Infects subject with chosen disease.

Critical Focus +4 to confirm critical hits.

Damage Reduction (5/magic) You have Damage Reduction against all except Magic attacks.

Darkness (3/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage – 20-ft. radius of supernatural shadow.

Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).

Desecrate (1/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage – Fills area with negative energy, making undead stronger.

Disruptive +4 DC to cast defensively for those you threaten.

Fly (60 feet, Good) You can fly!

Immunity to Poison You are immune to poison.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.

Lunge Can increase reach by 5 ft, but take -2 to AC for 1 rd.

Orc Ferocity (1/day) If brought below 0 Hp, can act as though disabled for 1 rd.

Oversized Maw The ogrekin gains a bite attack (1d4).

Poison (3/day) (Sp) Granted by Half-Fiend heritage. Touch deals 1d10 Con damage, repeats in 1 min. (DC16 Fort and SR)

Power Attack -3/+6 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.

Smite Good (1/day) (Su) +0 to hit, +10 to damage, +0 deflection bonus to AC when used.

Spell Resistance (23) You have Spell Resistance.

The Final Battle

When the party teleports back to the Throne Room, they will arrive before the other pit fiend who has discovered his companion’s demise (and the replacement of his missing rib) and then does a quick search of the island for the interlopers. This will take about 1 minute at which time, enraged, he will teleport back to the Throne Room to take out his aggression on the Angel whom he believes has had some part in this disaster. The party will have 10 rounds (1 minute) to do what they want and position themselves before the Fiend shows up (indicated on the map). He will begin bellowing:

“What have you done, little pigeon? I am going to take great pleasure in slowly snapping off your wings one by one, and stuffing them down your throat! I’m going –“ He then notices the party in the room.

“Ah… now I see who is responsible for this affront and intrusion. You will not leave here alive mortals!”

Orphamiel is still bound by the second rib around his left wrist and he still seems forced into the same pose as before. However, some of his white feathers on his wings are starting to show through.

Tactics

Gozath noticed that his companion had numerous slashes from swords so he will try to avoid direct melee until he has the need.

He will fly up 20’ to keep his Frightful Presence aura in range of those on the ground. (22’ rad on ground)
He will try to get as many people as possible in a Greater Dispel Magic to even the odds
Then he will cast Mass Hold Monster on group
He may cast a Persistent Image of a Bone Cage surrounding the group (or part). He makes the bone cage extremely tough, but not impossible to damage. Hardness 20, 180 HP, Break DC 35.
He will revert to more Hold Monster Mass until all are immobilized or he has to close to melee.
He may turn invisible and teleport near more annoying opponents
In melee, he will use Great Cleave if more than one opponent in range

Escape from Hell

Once the party has defeated the last Pit Fiend, the Solar Orphamiel will lose his bindings and the dripping evil that covers his body will be burned away by an aura of positive energy. He will hand one of the party members a small glowing sphere of energy and tell them that it is a part of the Khemet bloodline’s soul and they should return it as soon as possible. The angel will cast a mass heal and instruct the party to pick up any deceased members.

A familiar gateway will open and the arch-fiend Hutijin will step through it with 2 more pit fiends at this sides. The Solar will cast a withering gaze at the fiend and raise a finger. “Be careful what you do next, ‘Warden’. You know that I am easily your match, now that I have thrown off your shackles. And you will not find me an easy target again.”

The archdevil raises an eyebrow and nods to the glowing soul-container. “You have an important decision to make now. You hold a great power in your hands and with it, you have the ruling power of a strong nation at your command. Keep it and create a country for yourselves, with your own ideals. It would be assured!”

If the party refuses his suggestion, Hutijin’s face twitches and then twists into rage. “Lord Mephistopheles will hear of your treachery, Herald of Light and he will spare no expense to hunt you down and bring you back to me.”

Orphamiel smiles at him and replies, “Oh, I would think twice about reminding the Ruler of Caina about your failures. If he learns what happened here, you may find yourself in one of your own fancy cages and one of your assistants (he gestures to the pit fiends) will be the new jail master.” The pit fiends lick their lips and give Hutijin an appraising look. “Maybe if you are lucky, I may not spread the word of your defeat in your own home.”

With that, Orphamiel will have everyone join hands and cast a Plane Shift, returning the group to the Temple of the Eternal Sun in central Sothis.

The Return of the Pharaohs

With a blinding flash of light, you find yourselves standing near the altar inside of a massive temple. The female-shaped ankh symbol of Sarenrae is prominently displayed on a pair of huge double doors behind the dais. Several people nearby cry out in surprise at your unexpected appearance. But the golden glowing Angel at your side seems to stun those nearby into awed fascination. Many of the onlookers fall to their knees and others burst into tears.

A high priestess dressed in a long white robes with gold trim and wearing a golden sunburst crown and a man who has a likeness to the woman and dressed in similar garb both approach with wide smiles. (Nebt-Sheni, with her twin brother Mkhai)

“Tark and friends, welcome back! We knew you would be back, but the Ruby Prince did not know exactly when. We, however, had some inside knowledge.” She winks at your group.

The priestess then bows deeply to the Angel. “Your radiance is most welcome here, Herald. Today will be recorded prominently in The Birth of Light and Truth. Please allow us to escort you to the Prince.”

The twins will escort the party through the double doors to the Grand Solarium which is now alight from the sun refracted by hundreds of crystal facets in the dome high overhead. A 80’ diameter platform in the center of the room is occupied by a number of people, including:

The Ruby Prince Khemet III
The Kopeshman
High Theurgist Malika Azdari (Pharasma)
The company of the Rising Sun (Abel, Lina, Po)
Friends – Brodert and Suramber
20 members of the Risen Guard
Six unrecognizable people dressed in ambassadorial garb

There are 7 seats are arranged in a circle and 6 of them have a pole and a large blank banner hanging behind the seats. As the party enters, about a dozen servants follow them with food, drink and cool towels. Khemet will insist that the party refresh themselves first before anything formal occurs, including handing over their prize. One of the servants will visit each member and cast Prestidigitation to clean their clothes and armor, removing blood, dirt and grime from their recent battles. They will also cast Lesser Restoration if anyone wants it.

The Recounting and the Restoration

Once the group is refreshed and seated comfortably, Khemet will bid the party to tell them their story, slowly and in detail. He will interrupt to get more details if necessary, but will wait until the party completes their recounting. Then he will lean back in his chair and stare at the ceiling for a moment.

“Very well, I want you to know that I am proud to call you allies – or dare I say, friends? I believe you have something for me?”

Khemet will take the container from whomever presents it and stare at it briefly. He closes his eyes in concentration and says a quick prayer (seems like a minor Augury) then holds it to his chest. The glowing ball of energy leaves his hands and enters his body, then disappears. With a sigh of relief he looks into the distance and says, “My ancestors are no longer bound.”

He then looks at the party, “You have fulfilled – no, indeed exceeded all my expectations. Your have attained great power for yourselves, glory for my reputation and have done it all with honor and wisdom. It is therefore my honor and privilege to bestow upon you the glory and trappings fitting of your new stations.

The Ceremony

The party may have noticed a group of 6 people dressed in fine ambassadorial garb who have been observers but have been silently in the background. Khemet will motion for them to step forward in front of him.

“I would like to introduce you to your new High Stewards. I have known most of these people since childhood and I trust them fully. They will be employed as the head of your Houses and will attend to any matters that you desire as well as your staff, grounds and edifice.” He smiles at that word.

“If I may introduce one of my most trusted confidants – “ He gestures to Janhelia. “This is Janhelia, she is a representative of the Elemental Courts.” The woman turns toward the group and they can notice the center of her eyes are small but bright flames.

Janhelia nods slightly with a pleasant expression. “Greetings friends of the Ruby Prince. I have been directing the construction of each of your seats of power along the fertile River Sphynx. Each great pyramid has living quarters befitting such noble mortals as yourselves as well as accommodations for staff and guests that would impress any royal visitor.”

Khemet will then introduce each High Steward, who will take his or her place behind the seat of the party member.

Yotef — Balen

Nebamun – — Roga

Ipy — Ramos

Yupa — Tark

Merubaste — Meridian

Hety — Din

And your House would not be complete without a House Banner. He claps his hands twice and the banners behind the party roll up and down quickly to reveal each customized look.

Banners:

Balen- Symbol of a large green falchion over a silver portcullis (prominent symbol on coat of arms of Korvosa)
- Meridian – Symbol of a bronze lightning bolt over a winged eye (prominent symbol of Absalom)
- Tark – Symbol of a stylized black dagger inside of a golden ankh
- Ramos – Symbol of four claws pulling scratches across a great Darkwood tree
- Din – Symbol of an open hand with a 5-petaled flower in the palm surrounded by a circle of alchemical runes
- Roga – Symbol of a red fist emerging from the top of a silver pyramid splitting in half (pyramid is a symbol of Numeria)

Khemet then turns back to the party and waits for their attention. “And now, my most important gift to you all.” His skin, eyes and demeanor take on an almost surreal quality which you have seen once before a log time ago. In a deep amplified voice that causes many of the people watching to kneel he says:

“By my hand and my will, I deem thee worthy of a heroic mantle and a path that only legends of this world may attain.” He raises his famous Crook in the air and waves of power begin to pulse down his arm into the item, then with a sweeping gesture he waves the Crook at the party and warm energy infuses everyone. Like a blind man seeing a sunrise for the first time, you feel a stunning new level of awareness and personal potential. You have ascended to Mythic status and have gained your first Mythic Tier level.

In the same voice Khemet declares, “Behold this day – the Return of the Pharaohs!”

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