Gameplay!

Cool, great work everyone! Tomorrow we can breach the tomb, and I'll try to come up with some cool stuff for it!

Okay, everyone had a bit of time to get ready before you all assembled in the mess tent for a brief but filling breakfast. After, the travel to the dig site was short and uneventful, and everyone seemed a mix of nervous and excited to get started.

The dig site itself was a patch of sand that looked like the surrounding area, with no structure or marking to designated it as a place of interest. In the distance, you could see the pyramids rising on the horizon. However, The Investor suggests that only fools dig there, since that land has already been plundered to the last corpse. Only a true entrepreneur digs in the raw sand.

A team of local diggers is hard at work digging in the growing trench, which now is so far down that you are scared to fall in. Other workers cart barrels of sand away from the site to be dumped nearby, while still others are adding to the ever growing stairs necessary to reach the bottom. All of this work is done by hand with no machines, The Investor informs you, so that no noise is produced that might alert others of this endeavor.

While you all are taking in the dig site, a small tremor rocks the ground, causing a slight panic among the newcomers. However, The Investor and the working men pay it no mind, and you are informed that these small bumps happen pretty often in the desert and are generally harmless. After a moment, The Investor leads you to the bottom of the dig site, where you notice a small stone slab being carefully excavated. As the men work, you see the slab is connected to stone walls that lead straight underground, buried into the sand.

"This, gentlemen and ladies, is why we are here. Who would like the first look?"

At this point, each player is welcome to examine and interact with the stone door. I'm sure it has lots of cool markings, and there is definitely a place in the middle where some sort of key mechanism may fit. Also the DC of this section is raised from 3 to 4, since this is a more serious but not dangerous situation.

Tim- (FYI, the tomb isn't opened, it's still sealed with the stone slab on top.)

As you take the picture of the tomb lid, you notice the scarab symbol that matches the one you received from that mysterious man. On your person, the scarab you have starts to heat up, getting warmer until it is slightly uncomfortable, and not stopping until it feels like it is burning a hole in your pocket. Before you can react, your vision blurs, and suddenly, the symbols on the stone tomb door fuzz and morph until you can read them if you squirt hard enough.

What do they say? Also, do you read it to the group? Do you write it down? Or do you keep it a secret?

After a moment, the world wobbles again and returns to normal, the hieroglyphs back to their previous unreadable state. As you step back, camera in hand, you notice people looking at you. Do you tell them what happened, or give an excuse?

(Also I bet that picture you took is going to turn out pretty dope!)

Honestly either would have been a fine roll, puzzling would have fit nicely. But since you got a 6 on your Do Anything roll, let's use that one and call it a success and give you a new Lv II skill. Maybe something like Ancient Technology Lv II or Trap Doors Lv II? Whatever you like, really.

And on a big success, you get an insight into how the door works and also into something else about it. I'll let you tell us a bit about the door, then I'll add an extra bit of info for you at the end.

"All in good time, my dear man," says The Investor. "Let the others have a look at it first, and then you shall be the first to enter."

Another slight tremor knocks a bit of sand onto his suit coat, but he pays it no mind, his attention focused on the stone in front of him.

Also, don't forget your XP.

The Investor's face pales for a moment before he regains his composure quickly.


"As a matter of fact, I have. Why do you ask?"

Sarah, that's amazing!

"So you've discovered the secret key mechanism hidden beneath the false trap one, have you? Very nice- you must be quite smart. As a reward, I will give you the honor of working the lock."

With that, The Investor reaches into the pocket of his jacket and removes an ancient looking gold object which looks as if it fits into the locking mechanism Sarah discovered. He steps back, and all eyes fall on Sarah as she steps forward to open the lock.

When the gold key makes contact with the lock, a rumbling deep inside the Earth is heard, and the ground tremors again, slightly stronger than earlier. The stone slab on top splits in two down the middle, with each half falling away to the ground, shattering and cracking. A hiss of air whooshes past the party, bringing with it the stale must of thousands of years. Along with the air comes the sounds of screams, shrill and booming out of the tomb.

The screams only last a moment before they die away, but The Investor seems rattled. With a small chuckle, he remarks, "It must just be trapped air escaping to equalize the pressure after all these years..."

Timothy- The Investor drops the subject, but seems suspicious about you.

Sarah- as you go to remove your hand from the gold key, you feel a sharp sting that paralyzes your hand, the numbness traveling up your arm and down your spine with each second. Your vision blurs, like Timothy's did, until you black out. In this trance, you receive a vison- a warning. Please tell us what this looks like, and what you are being warned of. After a second, the vision is gone and your own vision returns. The numbness leaves you quickly, and your senses return to normal. However, when you look down at the key in your hand, you notice a drop of your blood on it. Before your eyes, they gold metal seems to absorb the blood, and you feel a slight itch on your finger as the small prick there also heals.

Do you tell the group about this, or do you also keep it a secret like Timothy did?

Also, its time to head into the tomb, so let's get ready for that! Everyone, please make a little post about how you are feeling and what your thoughts are going into this, and maybe what you are looking out for. You can also narrate how you enter the tomb. The Investor will enter last, followed by three of his body guards.