Gameplay!

This is where we can have gameplay! I wanted to begin with a few opening scenes to set up the game:

Deep in the heart of the Egyptian dessert, everything is still. The sand sits in massive dunes, the sun beats down, and nothing moves. Underground, far beneath the dunes, the Mummy lies, unmoving. Waiting. Biding its time with a patience unknown in our day. Nothing moves for thousands of years.

As the ages pass, empires rise and fall, and still the Mummies lies undisturbed.

Until now.

A great storm brews on the horizon. The winds whip by with supernatural speed, picking up the sand and flinging it into the air. There is no rain, but the clouds are an angry black. The storm rages by in a fantastic display of force, carving a crater into the sands. A small glint of metal is visible just beneath the surface of the dunes, revealed by the fury of the storm. The Lost City has been uncovered.

The Investor takes his morning coffee from his favorite arm chair, as he does every morning. He reads his paper, taking note of the market and the politics of the time. When his assistant knocks and enters, he tells the Investor that there is a report from the search team. The Investor sips his coffee and munches his pastry as he reads the report. Perfect.

Let’s begin with the party in Cairo, meeting up for the first time. The Investor has told the party to assemble here at this time, but is not present yet. I was thinking we could start by talking about where we were before this (like our normal lives), what the Investor offered us to join this team, and what we bring to the investigation.

Aldus looks up from the book he was reading. "I believe that leaves me. Sir Aldus Lemmington-Smythe, at your service. Been potty about Egypt ever since I first heard of the Pharaohs. Badgered the folks at the British Museum until they couldn't answer my questions so I found better people to ask. Couldn't pass up a chance to put all that knowledge to the test."

@Mhoram100 Looks like we are only waiting on Reem. I think if he does not show up initially, we can get started and have him arrive late. I'll move things forward tomorrow.

Off camera scene-

A hazy room, full of fat rich men in old suits smoking fine cigars and drinking whiskey from old glass tumblers. The room smells of sweat and spices from the lunch that was served a bit ago. In the center of the table lies an ancient stone artifact, still covered in sand that partially obscures the hieroglyphs carved into it. The men are looking at it with interest.

Eventually, the presider begins a bidding war, with each bid being quickly outdone by the next man at the table. When the bid reaches $100 million, the men fall quiet, thinking hard about their options. In the silence, The Investor speaks up, his voice having not been heard in the bidding yet:

"I'll bid a billion."

The other men seem stunned, and one goes so far as the get out of his seat, angry that he was outbid by such a margin.

"You don't have the faintest idea what you are doiiiii..."

Before he can finish that sentence, The Investor pulls out a small revolver and deposits a bullet in the man's chest, silencing him. His eyes remain steady, his face betrays no emotions as he adds, "Any more objections?"

When the room remains silent, he stands, pockets his gun, takes the artifact from the table, drops a pre-written check for $1 billion, and leaves without a word.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." In walks The Investor, in a fine suit and smelling vaguely like cigars and vodka. There is a slight and barely noticeable bulge in his jacket, and one in his pocket (the gun and the artifact).

"Sorry I'm late- I had some ... business ... to attend to. Money talks, but some men don't know how to keep their peace.

Anyways, it looks like the group's all here! If you'll come with me, we can begin our travel immediately."

At these words, servants come from behind all of you, taking your luggage.

"Our excavation site is a few hours outside of Cairo, and your bags should be waiting for you when you arrive. Please follow me."

With this, The Investor leads you to a waiting helicopter that will fly you to the site.

The trip is a few hours long, but the chopper has AC and is rather comfy. The Investor sits at the front with the pilot, and you get the distinct impression that he is polite but does not want to mingle with the group as a peer.

Upon landing, he says, "Take today to explore the campsite and to set up your gear and rest. Tomorrow we will start, just after breakfast."

He turns and leaves without another word, headed towards a large tent guarded by two security guards carrying large guns.

So now you guys have a little down time to do whatever you want. It's a good time to explore, to set up your stuff, to talk to each other or NPCs, etc. Everyone only has the one skill, "Do anything Lv I," so if you feel like a roll is called for, I can set a DC and you will roll 1d6 (we can also do opposed rolls if it is appropriate). The game will go better if you get a roll or two in before the action starts so you can have some starting skills.

Good luck!

Reem spent the helicopter flight over asking the guests after themselves and their backgrounds and generally getting their temperatures. She particularly wants to know what each of them is expecting to find under the ancient sands.

Feel free to make up whatever about the environment you want. I think it's safe to assume that this is a fully functioning camp with a mess hall and individual tents for everything and things like that. Since it is so well funded, you might even find expensive equipment or tools that might be helpful (and you could roll to see how well you can use them or how much you know about them).