Wandering among ten thousand tombs - Game Thread

[Tibbius]

Rules
Heroes of the Two Lands - Barbarians of Lemuria for Mythic Egypt (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?604029-Heroes-of-the-Two-Lands-Barbarians-of-Lemuria-for-Mythic-Egypt)


Characters
Tarkasan grew up in the Mittani heartland, near Washukanni. He lived in the king's household, the son of an honored retainer. When he was grown, he served as a charioteer in the wars against the Hattusans and the rebel Assyrians. King Tushratta sent him as a bodyguard for his daughter Tadukhipa when she was sent to marry Amenhotep III. After Amenhotep III died, Tadukhipa was married to his son, Amenhotep IV. Over the past few years, Amenhotep IV has become entranced with his new consort, Neferiti, and their new religion, leaving Tadukhipa and her entourage to scheme and plot in relative exile in their quarters. Tarkasan has been out collecting information for his mistress on the state of her adopted realm, and on the missives coming from their native home.


Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Appeal: 0
Mind: 1

Ka: 8

Combat: He is a balanced warrior, capable of using the spear and the bow and the shield.
Initiative: 1
Unarmed: 0
Ranged: 1
Melee: 2

Careers:
Charioteer: 2. A veteran of several campaigns.
Hunter: 1. Trainer and driver of horses. A regular participant in the hunts of the nobles.
Courtier: 1. He has served at the king's table back in Mittani, and lived as an honored guest of both Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV.
Musician: 0. A favored pastime of the idle members of the court, a fine way to pass the time.

Favor: Bannerman of Onuris: He has carried the banner of Tushratta and Amenhotep at the forefront of battle; none can deny his lion-hearted courage.
Favor: Blessed of Astarte: In Memphis, a great new temple to Astarte is a-building, under the auspices of Tadukhipa. But as of late, construction has slowed down, and Tarkasan has been trying to organize its re-starting.
Spite: Dislike of Ipy's power: He distrusts those who would use her power to distort the natural order of things.

Languages:
Mittani
Akkadian
"Middle Egyptian"

Trappings:
Suit of Medium Armor, Spear & Shield, Bow and arrows. Chariot & team of horses. Fine clothes befitting his rank, a position in the court of the royal consort Tadukhipa.

Friends:
Huy, son of the Commander of Chariots, a fine warrior in his own right.
Ammalli, Priestess of Astarte in Memphis, he is working with her on the temple there.
Nena, daughter of one of the high-ranking priests. She is Tarkasan's wife. She has given Tarkasan two fine children.
Nyamu, the hunter. He travelled downriver from the mountain kingdoms some time ago, and serves as one of the huntsmen to the court.

Attributes:
- Strength 0
- Agility 1
- Mind 3
- Appeal 0

Careers:
- Hunter 2
- Merchant 0
- Physician 2
- Astronomer 0

Combat Abilities:
- Initiative 0
- Unarmed 2
- Weapon -1
- Ranged 2

Caste rank: 3
Ka: 4 + 0 + 3 + 3 = 10

Favors and Spites:
- Serket, bonus to venom related tasks (resisting, recognizing, treating, extracting, attacking with poisoned weapons)
- Neith, bonus to archery tasks
- Imhotep, bonus to physician tasks
- Apis, malus to heavy strength tasks (pushing, pulling or lifting heavy weights, breaking, bending or forcing solid structures or constraints, wrestling)
- Ihy, malus to music related tasks (playing, singing, composing, dancing)

Backstory:
Shaimose was born in a small village north of Merimda, where he was trained in his family's hunting traditions since a very young age; however, it didn't take long for the child to show a potential above his humble origins, as his keen intelligence and perception manifested in various situations.
During those juvenile years, the goddesses Serket and Neith took a liking to such a resourceful boy, who often ventured in the wilderness, even alone, to observe nature and satisfy his insatiable curiosity: Serket protected him from the venom of scorpions and snakes, while Neith assisted him in the use of the bow, his favorite weapon. On the other hand, the god Apis was rather annoyed by the boy's shrewdness and elusiveness, which often let him avoid more direct and muscular approaches to difficulties, and cursed him accordingly.
As the time passed, Shaimose got more and more eager to explore new places and see new landscapes, especially after meeting traders at the market with goods from around the Black Land, and eventually left home for an apprenticeship with a seasoned merchant.
In his travels, the young man got better at defending himself, learned to read and write, but most importantly he embarked on a path particularly dear to the god who most of all followed him: his deep interest in nature and physiology led him to the study of medicine, surgery and pharmacology, with great satisfaction of the wise Imhotep.
After becoming a physician, Shaimose had the opportunity to access knowledge confined to the upper echelons of society and delved into the fields of astronomy, meteorology and advanced math, such was the extent of his curiosity; however, this side of his personality often made him overlook more social activities, as he always preferred studying and learning about the natural world to attending festivals and gatherings, and this saddened the god Ihy, along with Shaimose's disinterest for music.

Equipment:
- bow and arrows
- throwing knife
- light armor
- physician instruments, remedies and vials

Properties:
- servants
- sanctuary in Memphis

Attributes
- Strength 1
- Agility 1
- Mind 1
- Appeal 1

Careers
- Priest 2
- Captain/Charioteer 1
- Entertainer 1
- Servant 0

Combat Abilities
- Initiative 1
- Unarmed -1
- Weapon -1
- Ranged 3

Caste rank: 3
Ka: 4 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 9

Favors and Spites
- Ishtar, bonus for charm & seduction tasks
- Isis, bonus for Heka tasks
- Neith, bonus for ranged attacks
- Neith, malus for marching long distances
- Hatmehit, malus for fishing tasks

Equipment
Javelins (d6)
Light Armor
Large Shield (not typically in use)

Backstory: Neis was born of an affair between a priestess of Neith and a priest of Isis. The priest's wife however was a courtier to the High Priestess of Hatmehit. When her mother died in childbirth and her father's wife would not allow her to be accepted into their household, she was placed in the care of the temple of Ishtar to be raised as a servant.
And so she was for a time, though the priests and priestesses found they had a fondness for her. Eventually she was given more opportunities, largely in the form of challenges or tests that they used to determine how beyond her originally intended station the gods wanted her to rise. They felt this was the fairest way given the fact that on both sides of her parentage she otherwise would have been born to a higher station and the temple oracle's abnormally unspecific words about her when they asked for insight, only stating that she had been taken in by Ishtar. Which was a rather confusing response to them since that was clearly already the case since she was being raised in the temple of Ishtar.
As she grew they eventually understood why the oracle was so vague. She certainly had talent. Talent seemed to be almost exactly in line for what you would expect of someone trying to embody the image of Ishtar. An unusual breadth of talent, though not the kind of focused strong talent as you would normally expect for someone you would call "talented". And just as oddly, it did not encompass all things like you would expect of such a character if they were part of a story.
Truly the most notable thing about her was how much attention she had been given from the gods. For in the cases her abilities were notable, they were just as much positive as negative. She couldn't reliably hit a foe in front of her face, but could spear a man from across the field of battle with more ease than that which should could march over to retrieve it. And it became a running joke with the soldiers to tell new recruits to have her teach them to fish as even a man who had never seen a river before would fair better than her.
After proving herself in battle, she was finally (formally) trained as a priestess. And though she is just as good in this role as any other, the High Priest and the other priests and priestesses are often unsure of where her place is or if this is what she is meant to be or just another role along her path and so keep assigning her new tasks. Sometimes in the form of asking her what she thinks she should be doing and agreeing with whatever she comes up with as if she had insightfully understood their wishes, where really they just found her suggestion as good as anything else.

9 ka
Str 3
Agility 2
Mind 0
Appeal -1
Charioteer 3
Foot soldier 1
Hunter 0
Sailor 0
Initiative 1
Unarmed 0
Weapons 2
Ranged 2
Favor Anhur chariote driving
Spite Nefertum No luck when dealing with females
Bow 20 arrows
Medium armor
Khopesh sword
Spear

Male mid thirties, Anki grew up along the Nile River, manning a boat down to the Mediterranean Sea and back. He spent much of that time hunting for gazelles and selling the meat to others. When he was old enough to carry a spear he was enlisted into the foot soldiers where he quickly became a favorite of the general and made a charioteer.

[Tibbius]

Wandering among ten thousand tombs
It is the time of Kingpriest Akhenaten. Rumors say that he will raise a new city far upriver from Saqqara, the dreaming city of tombs and temples, and Menefer, the eternal city of white walls. Rumors say that the new city will be Akhetaten - “Sun City” - and that it will have grand new temples raised by workers from upriver, downriver, sunrise and sunset. Rumors say that Kingpriest is angry at all the priests and gods of all the Two Lands.

Yesterday at noon you arrived in the bustling great city of Menefer, and by sunset you had crossed the river on a ferry to rest in Saqqara, where you had business with the priests of Osiris. You rested in the public gardens, wrapped tight in your blankets under the clear purple night lit by the heatless glow of Iah and Hathor's Girdle. You had planned to attend the temple at sunrise, according to the customary rites. But in the middle of the night there was commotion out among the tombs, around the temple site: torches and shouting. Morning found disheveled priests of Osiris disconsolate and cold in the gardens, begging for breakfast from your supplies. Kingpriest's soldiers had expelled the priests from the temple!

It was the custom of the times that people from Menefer and the surrounding nomes would bury their loved ones in the lesser tombs of Saqqara, under the comforting shadows of the ancient pyramids. Also custom to visit the tomb at the anniversary of death. By mid-day, those who had gone out to the tombs at dawn were coming back to Saqqara, terrified. The honored dead were risen from their sleep and wandering among ten thousand tombs.




what business did each of you have with the priests of Osiris?
did you know each other before arriving in Saqqara?
what do you think of the priests being expelled?
what do you think about the risen dead?

Discuss in character.

[dojango]

Tarkasan had woken up in the morning after an uneasy night's sleep. He had come here to search for work-crews to direct towards the temple of Astarte that was a-building in Memphis. However, the commotion outside, the priests turned out of their temples, made it seem that his task was doomed to failure. It worried him. To see the proud brought so low. An upsetting of the natural order of things. If the kingpriest didn't fear the gods, what might that mean for him? He was a guest at the king's table, so to speak, and his rank and privileges could be withdrawn as easily as those of the priests were. But if such thinking troubled him, more worrying was the tales of the risen dead. There was devilish sorcery at work, either that of the kingpriest of these exiled priests making trouble. He might not understand priestly matters, but something risen could be laid low again. Looking around, he saw a few familiar faces from the capital. The veteran charioteer, Anki, whose martial skill perhaps eclipsed his own. He had ridden along with him before, at training. The strange physician, Shaimose, who would join the hunting parties of the nobles. And the young priestess, Neis, who would ride along with the chariots. He turned to the low-born soldier, Anki. "Gather your weapons. This troubles me, and I would see it with my own eyes before reporting back to Memphis."

[Captain Cap]

It should have been an ordinary trip for Shaimose, with him visiting some place to do some research (he had heard that the priests of Saqqara were in possession of an interesting tome about the dead), but the events unraveled were far from ordinary: first, the priests expulsion from the temple, ''Guess they can't provide me with the tome anymore,'' then the news of the dead walking among the livings. ''Maybe last night I shouldn't have made that joke about the turmoil at the tombs.''
The situation was grim for sure, but Shaimose couldn't help feeling excitation over such an extraordinary happening, much more baffling than its very cause; as a man of reason, he was perfectly aware that correlation doesn't imply causation, but if the gods were angry, the priests mistreatment definitely played a role: Akhenaten's boundless arrogance finally came back to bite him, too bad he probably wasn't going to be the only one to suffer the consequences of his inconsiderate actions.
Whatever the truth was, the affair merited investigation; luckily for Shaimose, an old acquaintance of his was there too, Tarkasan the Driver, a competent individual.''Tarkasan, my friend, is this by any chance a special kind of hunt organized by the king?''

[Ramsus]

Neis had come here to meet with the priests of Osiris to do her part in arranging an alliance between the priests of all the faiths to prevent just the kind of thing that had happened to them. Unfortunately the Kingpriest was acting more boldly and rashly than they had expected. Hearing about the dead rising in protest just convinced Neis for sure that this was the right direction.
Unfortunately this was now a situation with a lot of attention on it. She would have to delay a meeting with the priests and pretend to act in the interests of the Kingpriest for now.

She'd also had some person business, a creative (and likely costly) use of Heka she had been hoping to get some assistance with. But it seemed that that would perhaps have to wait a bit. Though hopefully not too long if she was going to wind up in battle against masses of the risen dead.

Then she noticed Tarkasan call for Anki, both warriors she had given Ishtar's blessing before. She did not recognize the other man who approached Tarkasan though. Still this was a good group to blend in with. She walked over to Tarkasan with a smile. "Ah, it is you afterall Tarkasan! Did I hear you call for Anki Thicklimbs just now? What a fortuitous thing to meet you both off the battlefield. And who is your friend? He does not have the air of a soldier about him."

[dojango]

The physician's question blindsides Tarkasan for a few moments. "A... hunt? What strange powers would the kingpriest have to call up the dead for us to hunt? Or to call up us for the dead to hunt?" He shakes his head at the notion. Four heroes, no matter how brave, would surely be overwhelmed and left for dead in such a bizarre scenario. "Neis, this is one of the court physicians, Shaimose. Shaimose, this is Neis, a priestess of the goddess Astarte, the morning star."

[Tibbius]

To the west, among the tombs, the hot white light of the noon sun glimmered in clouds of yellow dust that hovered around the bases of the pyramids and above the roofs of the mastabas. Even at a mile's distance, the four acquaintances discerned movement.

Among the huts and two-story apartments of the little town that supported the temple complex and housed the workers who built the tombs and carved the decorations, local citizens gathered in clusters, talking animatedly and gesturing toward the tombs. A throng of tomb-tourists were gathered down by the bank of the River, waiting for a ferry. They all seemed bewildered by the dozens of white-robed priests who were gathered near the public garden.

The priests conferred and sent a young well-shaven representative toward Tarkasan, Shaimose, Anki, and Neis. He raised his hand palm forward and bowed his head as he approached. "Good day, sister," he addressed Neis. "I see by your jewelry that you are a servant of Ishtar. You find us dismayed in Saqqara. Akhenaten's goons have thrown us from the Osiris Temple. From where do you come?"

[Tibbius]

I decided to implement some combat options (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24315446).

I also made some changes to rules for use of Heka (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24292952).

Which - to be clear - the italicized portions will not be applicable to this game.

[Ramsus]

Where is a reasonable place for Neis to come from? Dojango's comments have confused me a little. Though even without that I still wouldn't know where I suppose.

Edit: I'm a little annoyed you changed the rules on Heka use after we'd made our characters and started the game. It actually invalidates part of the post I made before since I noted wanting to do a third circle thing... which I now just can't do.
Also pretty sure I'm not the only person you nerfed without warning by doing that.

I don't feel like making combat more complex was necessary.

[dojango]

Ah, yes. Whether or not Astarte and Ishtar are different goddesses with similar characteristics or the same goddesses seen through the lens of different cultures is a difficult question. So at first I called Ishtar a foreign goddess because Ishtar/Innana is the Sumerian/Babylonian fertility & war goddess while Astarte is the Phoenician & Hurrian fertility & war goddess. But then I remembered Tarkasan doesn't have access to wikipedia, so he'd probably just assume they were the same and so I switched it. Astarte has a temple in Memphis as well, that was built during the reign of Amonhotep III (this guy's predecessor) so my backstory is that he's been helping them find workers after the kingpriest swiped them all.

[Tibbius]

Ok - let's revert the Heka rules to anyone with a Priest career can use any circle.

The combat options are ... optional. At a player's request. I don't plan to have any NPCs make use of them because I don't want to be bothered. If any player wants to use them, I will make the effort to keep track of modifiers to NPC rolls affecting that player's character. Otherwise, just ignore them.

Neis easily could be from Menefer, or from the island now called Philae. There was a temple of Isis there and before Isis it could have been Ishtar.

[Ramsus]

@dojango: Before you edited your post (which I didn't see you did until just now), you'd noted Ishtar as "foreign" which was confusing since.... she was on the list of egyptian gods Tibbius provided.

@Tibbus: Ok thanks. (Also I forgot those were priest-only options to begin with.)
As far as the combat, ok that makes sense. If someone requested something I can't really complain you added it.

When you say "Menefer" do you mean the part on the map that's labeled "mn nfr"? (Just east of Memphis.)

[Tibbius]

@Ramsus

Ishtar's interesting among the Egyptian deities. She's originally from Babylon and Sumer, their supreme deity. The Egyptians adopt her as a lesser goddess of war, love, and sex about fifteen hundred years before game time, she becomes a bigger deal about seven hundred years after game time.

Menefer is just the old Egyptian name for what the Greeks called Memphis about a thousand years after the time of this game.

[Ramsus]

Ah ok then. That location makes sense to me.

[Tibbius]

Accepting Neis' gesture over her shoulder and quiet reply "Over the River," the priest smiled. "Oh Menefer, the white walled splendor," he said. "Many of your temple came here in their slumber. I am afraid that now they walk among the tombs." He gestured to the shining limestone ridge and to the yellow sand that lightly blanketed the distant tombs upon it. A slow procession of lurching figures approached the town from the tombs.

[Ramsus]

When you say they're approaching, how far away are we talking? Minutes? Hours? Days?

[gryffydd65]

Anki Anki had made the trek to Menefer to pay homage to his Uncle, as the eldest son , it fell to him every year as his father could no longer make the trip. He was to make it to the tomb along with everyone who had relatives. But the news disturbed him, the dead moving about. His only consolation was his old friends, the priestess he didn't know and he always found himself tongue tied around women not related. He gathered his armor and weapons having slept with only a light blanket. He waited to be addressed by the representative eager to find out what he and the others could do.

[dojango]

Tarkasan stared incredulously at the approaching figures. "You say the dead walk amongst the tombs? Where is the nomarch? Why are the constables not here? Are you not guardians of the tombs? What do the auguries tell you? Very well. I will talk to the nomarch. You beseech the gods for guidance. Let us meet back in town. Anki, come with me. Master Shamoise, Miss Neis. Perhaps you should accompany us?" he says, with impatience towards the priest's representative. With that, he finishes buckling on his armor and girds his loins, and then strides off towards the nomarch's residence.

[Tibbius]

The young priest clenched his hands together. "The nomarch may be arguing with the captain of Kingpriest's soldiers," he said, "or he may be drunk. Or maybe both. I am too junior to read auguries, and anyway the sacrificial altar stands in the temple wherefrom we were displaced. I think the constables are busy keeping order by the ferry." He pointed toward the throng a mile distant along the river bank, where a noise of discontent clamored. "I think the High Priest has been arrested. Maybe he is with the nomarch?"

Meanwhile the slow parade of shuffling figures closer crept from the ridge of tombs a half mile from town.

[Captain Cap]

Can we give an estimate of their pace?

[Ramsus]

"Very well, I suppose we'll check on the nomarch then." Neis replies with a shrug, it being evident on her face that she thinks this is a bad situation that's almost certainly going to get worse.

[Tibbius]

"Well," said the junior priest, "you'll find him where you came from." He pointed across the river valley to the white walled city Menefer, up on the bluffs above the soft ground of the farmlands. "They say he doesn't leave the lesser palace often." The two palaces of Menefer seemed small in comparison to the city itself, and one smaller than the other. The bigger was the ancient seat of Kingpriests; the lesser was the nomarch's.

Tarkasan had spent his time in Menefer at Kingpriest's court in service of the princess, and had never had a reason to enter the nomarch's palace, though he had heard and even seen from the outside that it was in need of repairs. He was not sure why Kingpriest tolerated the nomarch's debauched approach to governance. It was said that before making any important decision, the nomarch would sip wine to the honor of each god whom he could think of. There were countless gods.

Neis likewise knew little of the nomarch. She had heard he occasionally visited the temple, but had performance problems possibly due to his constant intoxication. He was childless and wifeless, contrary to Ma'at for those of his age. She was not sure why the priests of Ptah had not made a move to replace him.

Anki and Shaimose knew nothing about the nomarch aside from the rumors that the junior priest had just unfolded. Shaimose, in any case, was focused more on the cloud of dust that hung over the procession coming from the tombs. Watching their shuffling progress, he estimated about half an hour before they reached the busy village of Saqqara. They already were passing the Osiris Temple ... if his eyes could be believed, some had broken from the front of the parade and were entering there.

[dojango]

"Dark sorcery is afoot." He spat on the ground. "Once those raiders reach the town there will be panic. We should go to the town and rally the militia to keep them at bay. From there we can send word back to the high priests in Memphis and they can beseech the gods for aid. You priests, will you come with us, or stay here?"

[Captain Cap]

Shaimose joined the discussion, ''The dead will get here in half an hour at most, so we must use our time efficiently: while I'd love to meet the nomarch, a priest and a noble courtier like you, Tarkasan, are surely enough to deal with him; on the other hand, someone needs to properly assess the situation and the nature of these ... moving corpses.'' The physician turned to the taciturn soldier, ''If the rumors I've heard are true, you Anki are one of the best charioteers in the Black Land: with a pair of horses, we could safely approach the horde and come back in a couple of minutes ...'' he stopped to reflect, an idea in his mind, ''and ... does any of you have a rope?''

[Ramsus]

She shakes her head on the subject of rope. She'd brought her own chariot and horses, but no rope. Looking at her chariot and Tarkasan's and said, "At least we'll be able to get there with haste, if you can make up your mind about where we're going."

[dojango]

"It may be too risky to split up. If you think this is necessary, Shaimose, we will do it. They will find out in the village soon enough."

[gryffydd65]

Anki smiled at the compliment, I will drive and access the situation, who will join me?

[Captain Cap]

''I'll gladly be your passenger, Anki,'' Shaimose could barely contain the excitement for the extraordinary experience ahead of them. ''It's going to be risky, that's for sure, but a better insight into the threat is too valuable; moreover, the dead seem to be rather slow, and even if the magic that permeates them makes it possible for their decaying limbs to sprint, they won't catch up with a speeding chariot.''

[Tibbius]

Decided on their next action, the heroes set about gathering their hobbled horses and hitching them to the chariots, which rested on their poles.

[roll0]+3
[roll1]+2
[roll2]+3

... please narrate your own results.

[gryffydd65]

Anki grabbed the reins and whipped the horse into a trot gathering speed as he left the others. Hold on Shaimoses and keep your eyes open.

[Ramsus]

I'm a little confused. What was the roll for specifically? It sounds like the roll was for the everyday task of just attaching the horses to the chariot. Which would be somewhat like having to roll to tie your shoelaces. If that is the case, I also don't know what a failure would look like or how it would be possible without my character just magically suddenly being completely incompetent at a mundane task she's had to complete hundreds of time without failure to do the things its established she's done.

[Tibbius]

I'm a little confused. What was the roll for specifically? It sounds like the roll was for the everyday task of just attaching the horses to the chariot. Which would be somewhat like having to roll to tie your shoelaces. If that is the case, I also don't know what a failure would look like or how it would be possible without my character just magically suddenly being completely incompetent at a mundane task she's had to complete hundreds of time without failure to do the things its established she's done.


The roll is for trying to do the task quickly, i.e. in a manner that would be challenging for the moderately skilled professional. Failure just means that she takes longer than everyone else - so she's far behind them when she gets going.

[dojango]

Tarkasan usually let his servant do this sort of thing... but he still remembered how, of course. He harnessed the horses to the yoke of the chariot, made sure the reins were passed through the guidelines, and the wheels were set. He climbed up and saw that Anki was already lashing his horses forward, eager for battle. A good man. "Neis, shield me."

Chariots are usually used in two-three man teams, a driver and one or two warriors. So if Neis wants to ride on my chariot as the warrior, that means she can fight better without having to drive herself. Shamoise is on Anki's, and can be his archer.

[Ramsus]

Neis watches as her driver struggles to harness the horses quickly and sighs. "I would rather not leave my horses here considering the situation. Do not worry, I will be right behind you." she replies to Tarkasan.


I would have come with you on yours dojango, but the Heka thing I want to do later involves my chariot and it'd be kinda hard to do that if later I don't have the chariot.

[Captain Cap]

''Hold on a second, Anki, I have one last thing to check.'' Shaimose asked the group of priests, ''Priests of Saqqara, is there anything important stored in the Osiris Temple?''

[Tibbius]

"Many valuable scrolls and indices," responds one of the older priests. His jowls waggle as he talks. "And our personal effects!"

[dojango]

Tarkasan wave his hand dismissively at that. "I can't see what the dead would want with all that. I'm sure it will still be there once we figure out whatever in the name of Amun is going on."

[gryffydd65]

Anki whips the reins once more as he realizes the truth in Tarkasan's words. We need to stop the dead, recovery will come later.

[Captain Cap]

''Texts and scrolls ... Tarkasan's skepticism is reasonable: what could the dead possibly seek ...?'' Shaimose was rubbing his shaved chin, pensive, as Anki kept driving the horses; the whole thing was an inscrutable puzzle and the physician's mind was avid for answers.

''My fellow, I suggest we stay on the temple side while advancing: maybe nothing important is happening there, but in case we notice an oddity, we'll be able to investigate.''

[Tibbius]

As Neis again instructed her driver how to harness horses (and wondered how she'd been tricked into picking this particular fellow), Anki and Tarkasan swiftly approached the long column of ragged figures shuffling toward the small town of Saqqara. There were more than hundreds of marchers in the column, which moved with a creaking sussurus of fabric and dust. They seemed oblivious to the chariots.

Now it was time to do whatever they planned with the ropes.

[gryffydd65]

Anki looked to see if it was an unruly mob with no direction or did it in fact have a purpose for coming towards the town.

[Tibbius]

The mob of mummies marched in almost military order toward the town. They were about fifteen minutes away at their pace; about two thousand cubits. They seemed intent on doing something in Saqqara. None of them strayed from the column of corpses.

[dojango]

Seeing the... living mummies march in formation gave Tarkasan an idea. He snapped the reins of the horses, driving the chariot forward, and in his best battlefield voice shouted out, "Company! About face! Company! Halt! By order of the nomarch!"

[roll0]

[Tibbius]

The column of mummies surged and swayed in disarray. Some tried to reverse course - others shoved them back on track. If the dead could be confused, they were. But overall, the mummies progressed toward the town.

[Captain Cap]

Thousands of dead bodies marching untiringly in an endless procession; a terrific sight that could have stroke fear into the hearts of many men, nevertheless sublime source of nothing but immense amazement for the intrepid physician: what arcane mechanism was producing the corpses' motion, replacing the ordinary activity of muscles and tendons? how much of the original mind and soul was still inhabiting the decayed flesh? was the herd moving of its own volition or by the will of higher powers?

Shaimose's mental processes were abruptly interrupted by Tarkasan's shouts and the ensuing reaction, ''What a spectacle! They're not completely mindless, it seems ...''
A smile of hope appeared on his face. ''Despite your din, Tarkasan, the horde still displays little to no interest toward us,'' he said out loud, so that the friend could hear. ''Perhaps they don't care about the living at all, thus evacuating Saqqara may be enough to keep everyone safe, at least temporarily.'' Then he yelled to the dead, with a bit of smugness, ''You don't care about us, right?!''

[Tibbius]

By contrast to their confusion at Tarkasan's order, the mummies showed no interest in Shaimose's taunting inquiry. They continued toward Saqqara, their bandaged bony feet raising dust that hovered around their legs as they marched. What was the plan with the rope?

[gryffydd65]

Anki swiftly turns his chariot around looking for wagons that might be over turned to steadily funnel the undead army away from the majority of people.

[Captain Cap]

What was the plan with the rope?
Well, it seems that no one of us has a rope, so I guess the plan will just be to observe right now (by the way, the idea was to "capture" one of the undead).

[dojango]

Watching the stream of mummies lurch unsteadly towards town, Tarkasan reached a decision. He'd seen the snares that the hunters of the delta used to catch prey, and the the larger ones that the horse-tamers used on their horses. He had grabbed a rope from the stables as he had prepared his chariot and fashioned it into a crude lariat. He manuevered his chariot so that he could beat a hasty retreat, and then tried to snare one of the lurching mummies. Once done, he made the lariat fast on his chariot and snapped the reins of the chariot to send the horses trotting away from the rest of the horde.

This is a rules-light system, so we can just say, 'of course I have X' as long as it makes sense. Not like say, pathfinder or something. 2d6+1+2 to lasso one of these duders.

[dojango]

He grinned triumphantly. "Got one!" he shouted. He turned to make sure that the thing was still moving... only to notice that the lariat had come undone and was dragging uselessly behind him.

dagnabit. [roll0], one for hunter and two for agi.

[Tibbius]

Tarkasan's ploy had effect. The rear part of the column branched now. Most continued toward the town, but a dozen or so veered toward the chariots instead, trying in their clumsy way to chase down he who had attempted to snare one of their number.

Meanwhile, some armed men fled screaming from the temple toward the river, as directly as possible away from the column.

[dojango]

"Hey, you wanted to study one! How about studying a dozen!" shouts Tarkasan as he leads the small group away from the column. Once they're far enough away, he'll stop and take stock. Are they armed? How do they move? Strongly? Weakly? Trying to identify their weaknesses...

[roll0]

[Tibbius]

About two hundred yards from the column, Tarkasan's chariot had drawn about a hundred yards ahead of the dozen mummies, who continued to lurch toward him at a shuffling pace. While those in the main column moved with their arms down at their sides, those approaching the chariot had their arms extended in front as if readying to grasp something with their hands. Their eyes glinted white in the sunlight, brighter than living eyes. They were slow-moving and uncoordinated; their postures suggested aggression.

One of the mummies wore an axe on a belt, but seemed oblivious to the weapon. Like all the rest it stumbled forward with arms stretched out ahead.

[Captain Cap]

The group of undead is only chasing Tarkasan's chariot, right?

[gryffydd65]

Anki slows down to look for wagons or other large pieces of furniture that could slow down the undead.

[Tibbius]

Anki doesn't see anything sufficient to form a barricade to the column, which could simply walk around such a structure in the open land.

[Captain Cap]

''There's no way we can stop the horde, Anki,'' the physician commented, ''and diverting the column doesn't seem to be a feasible solution either, given the limited results of Tarkasan's attempts: in other words, I don't see any reason for the two of us to run around the dead any longer ...''

Shaimose paused for a moment. He was partially satisfied with what he could observe, closer examinations would have been preferable, of course, but he had to be content; the opportunity to test the mummies' response to damage, for example with arrows, wasn't out of his reach, however, the resulting chase might preclude other options, especially the one the man was most tempted by.

''Thus, I propose we give a peek into the Osiris Temple, instead of being useless out here.''

[dojango]

"Yes. And see to the safety of the town." Leaving the shambling mummies behind, Tarkasan flicks the reins of the chariot, sending the horses forward at a gallop towards the town.

[Tibbius]

Anki pulled up the chariot before the marble steps of the Osiris Temple, sparing a glance over his shoulder toward the soldiers who had stopped their panicked flight to turn and watch what happened next.
. . .
Shaimose noticed the temple was quiet and motionless. It was not apparent what had driven the soldiers away.
. . .
Tarkasan proceeded rapidly back toward the town, quickly getting ahead of the column of mummies who now were only a thousand cubits from the town.
. . .
Neis, whose driver finally had gotten the chariot going, faced a choice: proceed to the Temple, passing Tarkasan on her way, or wait at the town for Tarkasan to get back in a minute or so?

[Captain Cap]

Shaimose took a look at the column of wandering corpses: before deciding the next course of action, he wanted to be sure the dead were still ignoring the two visitors.

[Ramsus]

Neis proceeds in the direction of the temple, figuring that it's better to make sure someone reaches the temple.


Sorry I haven't been posting. I couldn't really follow what was going on as one moment Neis and Tarkasan were supposed to be heading away from the undead and then suddenly Tarkasan was fighting them with a rope it seemed like it was previously established nobody had or something? Also I've got a cold which makes it a bit more difficult.

[gryffydd65]

Anki pulled up the chariot before the marble steps of the Osiris Temple, sparing a glance over his shoulder toward the soldiers who had stopped their panicked flight to turn and watch what happened next.*He gathered his weapons and proceeded to temple looking to see if the others had decided to join him.

[Tibbius]

Dismounting their chariots, Anki, Shaimose, and Neis cautiously ascended the steps of the temple. At the far side of the building, the tail of the mummy procession came near. The dark parade of bodies wrapped in myrrh-soaked bandages stretched more than half a mile, several corpses across. There were thousands of them marching.

The temple porch was quiet and coolly shadowed. The thick marble columns and the thirty-foot-high flat marble roof gleamed purely white streaked with veins of gold and silver. The great wooden doors of the temple stood open.

A soldier lay sprawled across the threshold, eyes wide, breathless. Dead. His axe lay on the porch, a cubit from his desperately outstretched fingers.

There was motion within the dimly-lit interior of the temple.

= = =

Tarkasan found the town depopulated, all the people hastily departed for the ferry landing three thousand cubits away. The little buildings stood vacant, reed-thatched roofs and linen doorcloths and curtains and bricks of mud and straw all silent in the sunlight. Even the priests who had been in the gardens had gone down to the river, where it appeared they were trying to exert their authority for the sake of spots on the next overloaded flatboat. A few boats rocked across the broad course of the river, five of them heavily loaded and headed for Menefer, two coming lightly and swiftly back to Saqqara.

[dojango]

Tarkasan watched for a few moments as the residents tried to evacuate the town. He hoped that the peasants and boatmen would respect the natural order of things and allow the priests to cross first safely, but just to be sure... he approached the docks where the crowd was and shouted, "Men of Saqqara! There is time enough for all of you to leave. I will personally see to it!" he raised his khopesh in demonstration. "Let the priests through to report this incident to the court!" Once done, he turned and drove his chariot over to the temple where he saw the others were gathering.

[roll0] to convince the crowd to remain orderly and to let the priests across first.

[Captain Cap]

''Tarkasan's unsuccessful use of the rope was enough to trigger a chase, so shooting an arrow at the dead, even without hitting one, should have the same result ... also, given this soldier's fate, there'd likely be no risk of injuring a living one.''

Nonchalantly, Shaimose drew his bow and nocked a projectile.

''Dealing with the invaders would surely be easier outside.''

The shot was fired at the first sign of movement indoors.

Ranged 2 Agility 1 Favored for archery - [roll0]+3
(damage) [roll1]

[Tibbius]

Shaimose's shaft shirred over Anki's shoulder and into the shadowed interior. It thumped into something that had moved.

There was a moment as Anki and Neis paused on the steps.

A mummy lurched hastily out of the doorway, arrowshaft protruding from its abdomen. With hands outstretched, clutching and flexing like falcon talons, it hustled toward Shaimose heedless of Anki and Neis interposed. It seemed willing to go through them to get at him.

[gryffydd65]

Anki throws his spear at the undead. He then will unsheathed his khopesh sword.[roll0]

[Tibbius]

[roll0]

Anki's spear strikes the mummy in the chest. It collapses to the marble tiles of the porch floor. Two more mummies crowd in the doorway behind the crumpled pile of bandaged limbs and torso.

[Captain Cap]

Do they move fast too?

[Tibbius]

Do they move fast too?

The mummies don't move very quickly, even when they're obviously trying to be hasty. In the forty feet between the doorway and the steps of the porch, there would be time for Shaimose to get in at least one arrow. Maybe two. ((second roll would have a penalty die.))

[Ramsus]

Well this is embarrassing, I seem to have misplaced my character information. Does anyone have a link to the recruitment thread?

[Tibbius]

First post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24311906&postcount=1) of this game thread.

[Captain Cap]

((second roll would have a penalty die.))
Why the penalty? In the other thread you wrote that the only downside of Ranged in melee is having Unarmed for defense.

you could use a ranged weapon at close quarters but any attacker would use your Unarmed Ability for the difficulty of their roll (bows and slings aren't defensive weapons).

[Tibbius]

Why the penalty? In the other thread you wrote that the only downside of Ranged in melee is having Unarmed for defense.


I was thinking Shaimose would try to get off a second shot really quick, before the mummies reached Anki and Neis - there would be a penalty for rushing the shot. If he wants to wait for his second shot until the melee is joined, there would be no penalty die, but a miss could be bad.

[Ramsus]

Neis rapidly backs up as she hurls a javelin at one of the mummies, more aimed at pinning a leg to the floor than attempting to instantly incapacitate it.


Attack: [roll0] + 4 = 9
damage: [roll1]

[dojango]

Tarkasan sees the scuffle in the entryway of the Osiris temple. Throwing the reins of his chariot to Neis's driver, he tells the man to make the chariots ready for a quick escape, if need be. He picks up his khopesh and stands next to Anki, to form a wall against the oncoming horde of two.

[roll0] roll for attacking once needed

[Tibbius]

If you don't mind, please let's stop spoilering OoC stuff and just put it in bold italics. Also please stop spoilering dice rolls. Just makes it easier for me to figure out what's going on when I'm posting a response. Using commented roll macros like [ rollv=Neis throws her javelin ]3d6[ /rollv ] +4 also would help me keep track of events.

Thank you if you go along with this, otherwise ok.

Round 1 Melee
Waiting for Shaimose to shoot one or two arrows. Neis has thrown her javelin, Tarkasan and Anki are waiting to receive the mummy charge.

[Captain Cap]

As the dead advanced, Shaimose shot an arrow at the enemy already targeted by Neis, and immediately another one.

Task rolls:
(the second target is the same as the first one, if still standing, or else the other mummy)
(ranged +2, agility+1, favored for archery +dice) [roll0]+3
[roll1]
(ranged +2, agility +1 favored for archery +dice, penalty -dice) [roll2]+3
[roll3]

[Tibbius]

Neis hurls her javelin. It breaks the leg of the mummy slightly closer than the other, and that one topples sideways to the floor of the porch, where it lies slowly writhing toward the group.

Shaimose's first arrow goes wide of the falling mummy. His second thumps into the chest of the still-standing second mummy, which seems undeterred by the slender shaft. It lurches forward, and as it approaches, it yanks Neis' javelin from its fallen comrade's leg.

[roll0]+2 (TN 13) [roll1]

[dojango]

Tarkasan cautiously struck at the advancing mummy. Too cautious, he didn't get a solid blow in. The next time it came close to him, he swung his sword with a more determined abandon, trying to strike down the unnatural thing.

[roll0]

[Tibbius]

Sorry ... the 503 / server too busy errors have been a real hassle. This is the first chance I've had to post, and it looks like no-one else has been able to post up either. Not sure what to do with this game now.

[Captain Cap]

Yeah ... lately the site is more often out of service than not. By the way, what's the actual turn order?

[gryffydd65]

I'm ready.

[Tibbius]

Roll call - who's still here?

[gryffydd65]

I am still here.

[dojango]

I'm still here.

[Captain Cap]

Here I am.

[Tibbius]

... waiting for Ramsus ... I'll PM.

[Ramsus]

I'm here. I've completely lost track of what's happened so far though. So a recap would be greatly appreciated.

[Tibbius]

Woke up. Saw movement out among the tombs. Saw people fleeing the town to take the ferry across the Nile to Menefer. Went to investigate, found column of mummies approaching town from tombs. Some mummies invaded the temple and chased out Pharaoh's soldiers, who had expelled the priests last night. Currently fighting the mummies on the temple porch.

[Tibbius]

Neis broke a mummy's leg with a javelin. Shaimose put an arrow into a mummy but it had no effect. Tarkasan just hit a mummy with his khopesh: [roll0]+1. Anki just evaded a mummy striking him with Neis' javelin.

Initiative order is Tarkasan and Anki, Neis, Shaimose, mummies. Remaining actions in this round are for Anki, Neis, Shaimose, mummy (Tarkasan just broke one of the two).

[gryffydd65]

Anki strikes with his kopesh at the mummy.
[roll0]

It's been a while sorry if I can't remember damage.

[Tibbius]

no problem, it's [roll0] which should get rid of that second mummy.

Two more mummies crowd through the doorway and stumble toward the four heroes.

[Ramsus]

While backing up, Neis throws another javelin. Aiming for the mummy's head this time.

Attack: [roll0] + 4 = 10
damage: [roll1]

[Tibbius]

Waiting for Shaimose, Tarkasan, and Anki ...
Neis' javelin knocks a mummy's head off and that one collapses right in the temple doorway. The other stumbles over it and flails toward the group. Two more mummies crowd through the doorway, also stumbling over the headless fallen mummy. They also head toward the party.

Shaimose thinks he remembers seeing a dozen or more mummies entering the temple half an hour ago. Six of those are down or attacking the party, leaving six or more inside.

[Captain Cap]

"Aside from the three attacking us and the fallen ones, there should be at least six other mummies inside."

"... And their kind seems to be no match for the exceptional fighters my companions are: this gives me the chance to conduct a few tests with my arrows in relative safety."

Disappointed by the apparent ineffectiveness of his previous shots, Shaimose aimed the next one at the nearest enemy, more precisely at what he thought could be a weak spot, given his knowledge on the dead and the art of embalming.

Task rolls:
[physician +2, mind +3, favor from Imhotep +dice] Shaimose tries to identify a weak spot - [roll0]+5
[ranged +2, agility +1, favor from Neith +dice] Shaimose shoots an arrow at the nearest mummy, aiming at the weak spot identified (or the head, if he can't think of anything) - [roll1]+3
damage - [roll2]

[Captain Cap]

For some reason the rolls aren't showed, here are the new ones:
roll0 -> [roll0]+5
roll1 -> [roll1]+3
roll2 -> [roll2]

[Tibbius]

For some reason the rolls aren't showed, here are the new ones:
roll0 -> [roll0]+5
roll1 -> [roll1]+3
roll2 -> [roll2]

Shaimose' arrow plonks the lefthand rearmost mummy right in its white-glowing eye socket. The mummy collapses like a child's dancing toy whose master has cast off the strings. Now two mummies remain standing, lurching ever closer to the group. Another appears in the doorway.

[gryffydd65]

Anki once again swings his khopesh at the closest mummy.

2d6+3
Attack

1d6+4
Damage

[gryffydd65]

Attack
[roll0]

Damage
[roll1]

[Tibbius]

ok, just waiting for Tarkasan and Neis.

[Ramsus]

Aiming for the head seemed to be doing the trick, so Neis tries that again.

Attack: [roll0] + 4 = 13
damage: [roll1]

[Tibbius]

Does Neis have one javelin remaining that she hasn't thrown?
Anki chops air. Neis' cast takes down the righthand rearward mummy (she couldn't hit the closest one because other heroes in the way). Now there is one mummy trying to grapple with Anki and one standing tentatively in the doorway and gesturing toward the party.
[roll=and wounds for]2d6b1-7

[Tibbius]

2d6b1-7
[roll0]
The mummy grips Anki's throat with fingers like talons of a hawk. It is trying to rip his throat out. He feels its nails cutting into his skin toward his windpipe.

[dojango]

Seeing the dreadful creatures grappling at his new comrade, Tarkasan strikes out with his khopesh towards the monster's back.

[roll0] to hit
[roll1] dmg

[Tibbius]

Anki feels the mummy's grip release as Tarkasan's khopesh breaks its spine and it collapses in a limp heap at Anki's feet.

The mummy in the doorway makes an emphatic gesture. The shadows of the group ripple on the ground. Everyone feels an all over burning sensation followed by cold clammy sweat and dizziness. It is sunburn and heat stroke, all in one instant.

Everyone immediately suffers 2 Ka damage.
Thus: Anki at -4 (5 Ka)
Tarkasan at -2 (6 Ka)
Neis at -2 (7 Ka)
Shaimose at -2 (8 Ka)
Everyone rolls physical actions with a penalty die (this cancels out any bonus from a deity)
The mummy in the doorway slumps against the doorpost, apparently ennervated.

[Captain Cap]

"What the Duat ..."

The intense heat and the surprise left Shaimose breathless for a moment; whatever spell affected them, the undead was clearly the responsible, but the physician was bothered more by something else ...

"... the gestures toward us ... and when the other one fell ... was that grief?"

Another arrow was nocked, pointed at the mummy's head; the right hand was holding the string.

"Who are you?"

—

I delay my action.

[Tibbius]

The mummy in the doorway croaks a high-pitched noise like one of the small yellow frogs that hunt insects in the reeds along the River. As if in response, the closer mummy halts its lurching progress toward you and instead shuffles backward toward the doorway.

[Captain Cap]

Astonished, Shaimose slackened the string while lowering the bow.

"You're sentient ... and I bet you can understand me."

[Ramsus]

Does Neis have one javelin remaining that she hasn't thrown?
((I didn't know I was meant to be tracking individual javelins. I assume I just had "enough". Given they're her primary means of combat she certainly has more than three though. If we need a specific number I'll leave it up to you what seems logical for her to be able to carry.))

[Tibbius]

((I didn't know I was meant to be tracking individual javelins. I assume I just had "enough". Given they're her primary means of combat she certainly has more than three though. If we need a specific number I'll leave it up to you what seems logical for her to be able to carry.))

It seems that two or three javelins were the traditional number for going into combat (https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/48999/how-many-javelins-would-a-thracian-peltast-carry-into-battle); with sufficiently slender shafts, one could be held in the throwing hand and two in the "quiver" hand.

[Ramsus]

((Ok then. I guess since I've made three whole attacks this combat I'm now done and can just sit around twiddling my thumbs while characters who focused on melee can make an infinite number of attacks or archers can be presumed to safely have enough ammunition for a single individual sized battle much less actual skirmishes and serious warfare. *shrug*
Sounds like a real gripping and engaging roleplaying experience.))

[Tibbius]

((Ok then. I guess since I've made three whole attacks this combat I'm now done and can just sit around twiddling my thumbs while characters who focused on melee can make an infinite number of attacks or archers can be presumed to safely have enough ammunition for a single individual sized battle much less actual skirmishes and serious warfare. *shrug*
Sounds like a real gripping and engaging roleplaying experience.))


She could use Heka. ... I didn't realize that she didn't have a back up melee weapon. A javelineer would carry one of those. Would you like to retcon that?

Also, she has a chariot. Probably has a sheaf of three or four additional javelins in there. She could split from action for a round to grab some of those and probably hurl them right from the chariot.

Javelins are about five to six feet long and the shafts are 3/4"-1" thick, they are kinda unwieldy. Carrying three at a time is a lot. They don't fit in a quiver like arrows.

[dojango]

"Your foul sorcery has no power here!" shouts Tarkasan. "Return to your labors in the underworld and trouble us no more!" He points the khopesh at the retreating mummy.

[Ramsus]

Neis tries to think of what prayers or rites would convince these dead that they were not the ones who so offended them.

((It really doesn't matter if she has a melee weapon or not. To be any good in any form of combat I had to design myself to be terrible at everything else. And using Heka for normal combat sounds like a pretty bad choice since it's guaranteed to harm me with a slight chance to kill me every time I use it.
Saying there's more ammo in my chariot is just delaying the problem if we're keeping track of each javelin since eventually they'll break/go somewhere I can't retrieve them/we'll be in a situation where it's unreasonable for me to run back and forth to the chariot. ...admittedly this last kind of issue was something I wanted to solve with a Heka ritual right at the start but then we showed up and the priests were already in a panic because we started in the middle of an incident and now it doesn't seem like things are going to calm down enough for it to happen any time soon/ever.))

[gryffydd65]

Sorry for the delay: for some reason I am not getting updated emails as I requested from giants. I will have to figure something out.

Anki holds waiting for another attack. He tries to recover from the sudden heat exhaustion.

[Tibbius]

Good people ... I'm sorry, but after the month long break I have forgotten where I intended this game to go. Without a clear direction, and with some player dissatisfaction, and given other things that I have going on, I think the time is right to discontinue this. I hope you all will understand that I would like to play again with you - either as a DM or as a fellow player - in some other game at some other time.

[Ramsus]

That's fair, that server down break was pretty brutal on a lot of games I'm sure.
Best of luck Tibbius, thanks for running it for us. :smallsmile:

[gryffydd65]

You know I am up for any game you decide to run. Always interested and interesting.